Izuku: The Warlock
by Delusional777
Summary: Izuku Midoriya's sole blessing in a world of superpowers was his curiosity. A curiosity which led him to discovering the last remaining vampire on Earth. The good news: It knows magic. The bad: It is very hungry. Without hope of achieving his dreams otherwise, Izuku makes a pact with his demonic companion, his blood for her teachings. Before heroism, he must become a warlock.
1. Izuku's Necklace

Izuku had a pretty unspectacular life. In a world of superpowers, heroes and villains, he was quirkless. The most unique thing about him, was that he was not unique. No powers, no special abilities. Where his best friend could create explosions in his hands, he could...

_What can I do?_

He didn't know. 20% of the world's population were just like him, quirkless. He figured out quickly what that meant. It didn't mean there would be some quirkless kids, it meant there where almost _NO _quirkless kids, as the majority of quirkless where much older people. As time progressed foward, humanity had been gifted with otherworldly abilities, akin to magic.

Not him.

Izuku sighed and swallowed his thoughts, wiping away a tear he has failed to take notice of until now. He never quite got _used to it_. Quirklessness was something he was constantly reminded of, it defined him in the way a quirk defined an individual. He had no worth to this world.

_Maybe Kacchan was right about swan diving off the roof. If I reincarnated, I would have a massive chance of having a quirk...NO. YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO MOM._

He was better than that. Far better. So what if he didn't have a quirk? Mankind had only had quirks for a brief _second_ of their history, and Mankind in general had only been around for a brief _second_ of the Earth's existence. He looked around at the towering buildings and endless establishments, the hum of the city and bustling activity.

_No. I don't need a quirk to hold some kind of power in this world. I can make it without one! I just need to keep going! Albert Einstein, who revolutionized science and helped create the most powerful weapon in existence, said that he was not **gifted**, just extremely **curious**_. _That's all I need! Curiosity! I just need to think about heroism in a different w-_

The sound of a sewer grate exploding behind him broke him out of his self motivation. "SHIT, SHIT SH-", came a horrible voice, before it abruptly ceased. Izuku turned to see a towering black sludge creature, violently yellow eyes glaring at him, with a crude attempt at a smile striking fear into his young heart. "YOU WILL DO, KID. YOU WILL DO."

"W-What do y-UGH!"

The villain lashed out with toxic tendrils of slime and captured his arms, pulling Izuku closer into his amorphous mass. The smell of rotting...something assulted his nose, and the texture of the creature was revolting. It became apparent what he intended to do when the creature forced his mouth open, forcing its way down his throat. At first he made meager attempts to fight back, but soon fear induced theories paralyzed Izuku, not that the paralysis would changed anything about the situation. "DON'T WORRY KID, I'M JUST GONNA BORROW YA! MAKE IT EASY FOR BOTH OF US."

_I'm going to die, I'm going to DIE. __Am I being...no! He burst out of there in a hurry and was clearly worried about something! He is being chased! Why isn't he running? He's very strong, so he could have killed me already...maybe he enjoys it? NO! There has to be some practical reason for him doing this!_

Izuku started fighting again, struggling to breathe, but soon it was impossible. Just as he felt his strength and conciousness fade, he heard a mighty war cry. **"I AM HERE!"**

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

**"Hey kid**, **wake up!"**

Izuku's eyes jolted awake, recognizing the voice immediately. With his alertness came memories, memories of grime and pain, but also of a certain catch phrase. His heart nearly leapt out of his chest, but it was a leap of joy.

**"HAH! Thought I lost you there!****", **happily exclaimed the Symbol of Peace and Justice, **All Might**. His towering figure and powerful muscle would have sparked fear in many, but his smile and good heart swayed his instincts. Izuku was enraptured in the sight before him.

"A-A-A-"

**"You alright there ****young m-"**

"ALL MIGHT OH MY GOD I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE H-HERE!"

**"HAHAHA! _THAT'S _more like it! Sorry you got caught up in my crime fighting! I'm not quite used to this city yet!** **Fear not though, I have captured the villain!"**, he proclaimed, holding two soda bottles now filled with familiar sludge.

Izuku's mind performed aerials with jet engines, zooming past thoughts before they could become coherent. One thought managed to stand out from the rest though, something he had always wanted. He searched his backpack with vigor, only to have his attention caught by All Might, who coughed dramatically. Izuku looked at him, and saw a notebook on the ground. All Might's smile seemed to widen.

"N-No! There's n-no way you...YOU DID!", Izuku shrieked.

In the pages of the notebook, All Might had autographed his name and drew a symbol over the blank canvas. Genuine and authentic. Izuku stuttered and bowed gratefully, claiming it to now be a family treasure, an heirloom to be carefully passed down generations. A spark glinted in All Might's eye, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. He started stretching his legs, and Izuku caught on quick.

"You're leaving?"

**"Of course! I must deliver this villain to the police, and there are other evils in this city that must be brought to justice as well! Crime waits for no one!** **I say farewell now, Izuku Midoriya!****"**

_HE SAID MY NAME!__ No, focus! He's about to leave, say something! Ask him if you can still be a hero without a quirk!__ Shit, I've seen that pose before, he's about to enter the atmosphere! He won't even hear you!_

Izuku rushed fowards to grab onto his hero, to satisfy a burning curiosity that plagued his heart for his entire life, but some distant, shining thing caught his eye, and he hesitated to look at it. In the sky, something small and bright was falling down, it looked li-

With a great boom of sound, All Might had leapt into the air, leaving Izuku with regret.

_Damn. DAMNIT! SHIT! I HAD MY CHANCE AND I WASTED IT. For what!?! Something shiny in the sky? It was the SUN, probably! Curiosity just killed me..._

He silently fumed to himself, pacing the grounds of the attack and examining his school uniform, still moderately filthy from the sludge villain. He sighed.

"Well...I did get the autograph. Even if I DID talk to him, he wouldn't have been able to do anything...my future is up to me", he spoke aloud to himself.

_Clink!_

"Hm?"

Izuku turned around and saw something peculiar on the ground. It looked like a bone, with a hole carved in to create a path for a black string...or at least he thought it was string. The bone looked unidentifiable as well. The only thing he could tell was that this _thing_ was clearly intended to be a necklace.

_Like those cheap ones with the shark teeth, but this bone is too big to be a tooth. Maybe a small, sharpened rib? I can't tell what the string is either. The material is not something I've ever felt before. Oh! The rib thing has runes engraved into it! That's kinda cool..._

Deciding that it was _neat_ at the very least, Izuku put his new necklace on. He would look up the strange symbols later, right now he had to tell his mom what happened today!

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

That was a mistake.

_I don't know why I thought my mom would take a literal **villain attack** well, even if I was rescued by All Might._

"A-Are you sure you don't want to stay home sweetie?", Inko Midoriya called out from the kitchen.

"_Yes mom, I'm sure_."

_I know she loves me, and ever since dad stopped sending cash home she's gotten desperate to keep the things she loves, but this is a bit much! I think I should spend some more time with her. At least she didn't take the necklace away..._

_Oh right! The necklace!_

Izuku took the necklace off, oddly feeling a bit colder when he did, and examined the runes closer. He may not know much about ancient history, but this clearly wasn't anything _that_ ancient. It wasn't Egyptian or Nordic, and one of the runes looked eerily similar to a Christian cross. He got on the home computer and started his research, hoping to find anything he could. A few hours and some rabbit holes later, he found his answer.

**The Cursed Amulet of Emilia: Predicted to date back to 1400, this amulet was supposedly used to bind and imprison the soul of a powerful hell-spawn after it's demise. Such a soul was theorized to be capable of opening gateways to Hell and beyond. It is named for the last known holder of the amulet, who is unknown aside from namesake. It is theorized that the hell-spawn can be safety summoned and communicated with if the holder sacrifices their own blood to the sharp bone at Midnight.**

_"The Cursed Amulet of Emilia"__, _he mused to himself.

_Apparently, this amulet contains a very powerful spirit that will talk to whoever feeds it...HAH! Crazy to think it just fell from the sky! It looks exactly like the description says. I bet there's someone out there who would buy this thing..._

Izuku quickly searched online, and nearly fainted at the price tag attached to this thing.

_100 thousand U.S. dollars!?!__ Okay, okay, I still have to convert that, so..._

"Holy shit...", he muttered to himself.

_That's a lot of money...money my mom needs. Money I could need. That amount could make things so much easier on us...__I'll have to tell mom about this tomorrow, it's late._

Izuku get off the computer and went to his room, once again examining the runes on the bone. Despite his doubts over the legitimacy of the necklace, he couldn't help but note it _looked_ authentic. Too authentic, actually.

_If this was really over five hundred years old, why does it look so...high quality?_

He took a look at his alarm clock, noting it was 11:52 pm. He immediately scowled.

_Don't even! You know very well that there's no demon in this thing, and if there is, WHY would you summon it? "Safely communicate"? With a DEMON? _

He sighed and put the necklace on his nightstand. Staring around his room, he saw the embarrisingly numerous amounts of All Might merchandise. Posters, actions figures, even his pajamas. It never bothered him before, but now...

_I can't really be like him. I know that now. That villain was a wake up call, and I think he'd want me to stay safe instead of risk it as a quirkless hero. I still applied for the entrance exam though, didn't I? Maybe I should **try** it, just to get it out of my system. I should also start working out. What kind of hero looks like a scrawny kid?__ Might start with some push ups, let gravity create the pressure...might even buy a dumbell or two!_

He smiled and layed his head down on his pillow, dissapointed but also amused. He closed his eyes and...

_Huh__?_

A faint light danced across his eyelids, waking him from a light sleep. The room was pitch black, but now there was a faint, barely perceptible red hue. He searched and found the source of the hue, it was the necklace, specifically, the runes on the bone. He looked at his alarm clock.

**12:00 AM**

_No. No way._

The necklace kept glowing, much to his disbelief and growing fear. Dark thoughts whispered to him, uttered only once before being echoed in his mind over and over. It was _calling_ to him, and he knew what it wanted. What if it was all real? What if something from beyond really did want to talk to him? What was it like? What did it want? Was it real? Every passing second the pressure grew. Izuku could not resist his curiosity. He took a deep breath and firmly grasped one end of the bone, before driving it into his hand. Sinew parted before it, exposing a thin tide of crimson. He felt no pain, only intense pressure. Seconds passed, but nothing happened. The pressure faded just as fast as it came, and he was left with the pain of a bleeding palm. Pain turned to dissapointment, then anger. He huffed and threw the bloodied bone away, landing on the opposite end of his room.

Cradling the wound, he shut his eyes and went to sleep, longing for unconsciousness to end his most eventful and disappointing day so far.


	2. Izuku's Friend

Izuku woke up, sourly dissapointed to find that it was still dark. He got out of bed and examined his palm, the wound from his midnight mistake taunting him with it's ugly visage.

_I really do need to sell that thing..._

He walked to where he threw the necklace, but nothing was there. Odd...in fact, several things were missing from his room, the door being one of them.

_Something's wrong._

"**_I wouldn't be so sure, sweetheart_.****_"_**

Izuku gasped and turned around, absolutely sure he heard someone behind him. No one was there, it was just him. He glanced at his alarm clock.

**12:00 AM**

**_"_****_Aww, you're _****_a scared little thing, aren't you?_****_"_**

The voice was distinctly feminine, and once more sounded like it came from right behind him. Once more he found no one.

_What the hell is going __on?_

**_"_****_I'm still processing it myself, young child._**"

"W-Who are y-you?"

**_"_****_Let me show you._****_"_**

What happened next was a blur. His bed, his room, his surroundings, they all ceased to exist. He was left completely in the dark, somehow standing on nothing, but also knowing that he would not fall no matter where he stepped. A humanoid figure materialized in front of him, significantly taller than him and taking the form of a nude, grey skinned woman. While beautiful and _naked_, Izuku was stuck gazing at her _eyes_, completely dark red. Her hair matched the darkness surrounding her, long enough to reach beyond her shoulders. She wore the cursed amulet, the same one Izuku sacrificed his blood to.

**_"_****_Hello, Izuku Midoriya. My name is Emily._****_"_**

"E-Emily?"

**_"_****_Indeed. I'll be honest with you, no one can pronounce my real name, but I liked the last girl, so you can call me by her name._****_"_**

"Are...are you really...?"

**_"_****_Hell-Spawn, yes. Care to guess specifics? You seem like a smart youngling..._****_"_**

Emily held him in her entrancing blood red gaze and parted her lips to reveal a set of fangs, glinting in the dark.

"You're a vampire..."

**_"_****_Not just ANY vampire, Izuku Midoriya. I'm the first to be blessed with undeath, and all vampiric spawn can trace their legacy to me...yet when I gaze through your memories, I find myself sorely dissapointed. They've all been eradicated, haven't they?_****_"_**

"I-I've never seen a vampire..."

**_"_****_I knew mankind would grow, but such numbers...BILLIONS...unimaginable. Many other creatures have been wiped out as well...answer me this question, Izuku Midoriya. Why did you summon me? You read the article. You were fully aware of the risks and consequences of your actions. Why did a young "teenager" summon a HELL-SPAWN?"_**

"I...I was curious. I wanted to see what would happen. I was going to sell the necklace, but I wanted to know if it was real...so I tested it."

**_"You know what they say about curiosity...it is the greatest weapon of man, the trait through which they empower theirselves and rise above Heaven and Hell-Spawn alike! I think you and I will get along, Izuku."_**

"W-What do you m-mean?"

**_"Here I thought you were a smart little boy...I'm TRAPPED in here, Izuku. I can never leave. I can never bless another mortal with undeath ever again, I can never relish in human lovemaking, and I can never hunt with fang or spell..."_**

Izuku heavily blushed at the term _lovemaking_ but kept himself in focus, aided by Emily's hypnotic gaze.

"S-So what can you do?"

Emily smiled at him, the pale faced visage of Life-in-Death in deep, amused contemplation. Izuku suddenly remembered _what _he was talking too, a _vampire_, a _monster_. Under her eyes, he was prey, like everyone else she looked at. Just because he summoned her didn't change that fact.

**_"I can still FEED. The bone on the amulet...that's the last known evidence of my existence. That's my fang, Izuku...don't give me that look! I used to tower over even the largest of men when I still roamed the Earth, not like you see here. When you plunged that into your hand and sacrificed your blood to me, I fed. I fed for the first time in centuries. Could you imagine being kept conscious for hundreds of years, just so you can feel hunger? It's not something you get used to...Izuku, my boy. I have a question for you."_**

The alarms in his head went off. This is it. This is how the demon would always capture the hero. She would ask him something, or trick him into saying some phrase, and she would be free to wreak havoc on the Earth once more. He should get out of here! Was there any way to banish it? He needed to make something up, get it off his trai-

Emily rushed foward faster than he could even blink, and like that, he was now on the floor, pinned down by a nude vampire who's claws were at his throat.

**_"I CAN HEAR YOU, IZUKU. EVERY WORD, EVERY THOUGHT, EVERY BODILY URGE. I KNOW YOUR BODY AND YOUR MIND, YOUR REGRETS AND ASPIRATIONS. I KNOW ABOUT YOUR CROOKED FATHER AND THE MAN-GOD YOU IDOLIZE. SO PLEASE...don't lie to me."_**

He nodded desperately, but in his mind an inconsistency screamed at him. He thought of keeping it to himself...

_She already knows. Just ASK._

"E-Emily...if you're stuck in the amulet, how were you able to grab me like that?"

**_"Oh? THAT'S your first question after being dominated by an enemy? HOW they did it? Hmpf...no fighting spirit whatsoever, but there is potential in a willingness to learn. You are DREAMING, Izuku. I am in your mind. I cannot truly harm you, I can merely communicate. At least, for now. Now it's time for my question, so don't lie to me sweetie_****_, okay?"_**

He nodded.

**_"What are you willing to do to become a hero?"_**

For the first time, he spoke without remorse or hesitation.

"Anything."

**_"_****_Good. I have a proposition for you. I am a vampire, but I am also a...what do you call it? A 'witch'. I did not survive with my physical prowess alone. I used MAGIC, boy. The runes on this amulet are MAGIC. That's how I am kept in. In ancient times, powerful beings have granted their followers boons and blessings, so that they may be mighty. The answer eludes me, but something blessed humanity on a scale previously undremt of. The vast majority are blessed...yet you are not. This is where my proposition comes in. I will show you the secrets I know, the magics once at my disposal, and you will provide me your blood and the occasional favor in return. With my power, you can take whatever you desire. You can destroy the villains of this world, secure wealth for your mother, and establish yourself as the most powerful entity, surpassing even the god All Might! What say thee, Izuku Midoriya?_****_"_**

His brain screamed at him to decline, to never summon this demon again, to sell the amulet and move on from his dreams of heroism, but his heart ruled over it. He could not turn down this chance. Despite working with a literal demon, he _wanted_ to become stronger, he _wanted_ to learn magic, he _wanted _to become a hero. His dreams were right in front of him, taking the form of a grey-skinned, nude vampire, and they have never been as tangible.

"Yes."

**_"Feed me, Izuku. Feed me as much as you can, then take me somewhere secluded, away from prying eyes...I would prefer a nice view of the moon as well. You will need materials to set up a binding rune, as well as proper phrases to utter. You will remember the binding words right before it's time. As for materials...I suggest you write them down in those cute little notebooks of yours before you forget. This summoning is more intricate than the last, but if it's done properly, you and I will be attuned to each other. Perform the ceramony at midnight, then, I will teach you."_**

Emily stepped closer to him, completely unconcerned about his own wary response, and gave him the necklace. She leaned fowards and softly whispered in his ear.

**_"I am your future."_**


	3. Izuku's New Hobby

Izuku woke with a fright, clutching his chest to find the cursed amulet still on his person. His hand twitched uncomfortably, so he looked down to see a horrible sight. The wound from his hand had not recovered fully, and his sheets were stained in a wave of crimson. He gasped and kicked himself off his own bed, landing harshly on the floor. "IZUKU, ARE YOU OKAY?", his mom called out from the other room.

Thinking quickly, he responded "Y-YEAH I'M FINE!"

It was clearly daytime now, the clock and his stomach confirming it was time for breakfast. He took the amulet in his bloody hand, noting the glowing red runes. After several seconds, the blood on the bone dissipated, and the runes stopped glowing.

"It's real...holy shit..._she's _real..."

He mulled over the events of his dream, perfectly remembering every detail, from Emily's hypnotic gaze to her playful, yet inquisitive tone. He remembered her beautiful figure and how she put her hands around his throat and told him of-

_Shit! The materials for the summoning rune!_

He made a dash for a notebook and started to madly scribble down everything he could remember, from scientific names to vague objects, as well as how to arrange such objects. Amongst them were the bones of bats, common grass, the blood of a virigin, a lock of his own hair, wood from a tree at least a century old, some type of fungi, some silver, and soil from a grave. Not exactly the easiest grocery list, but it would all be worth it.

_People usually forget their dreams, but I remember EVERYTHING about this one. She is certainly real...but I can't exactly stab myself everytime she asks me to, can I? There has to be an easier way to do this. __Maybe I can buy blood? __Hold on...the wound doesn't even hurt..._

The curious child poked and prodded the exposed wound, which was now cleaned of all it's blood. He felt no pain from it, only the usual pressure of having something poking and prodding your palm. Cautiously, he drove the bone into his palm again, and the amulet made quick work of the blood. His clean hands gave him an idea.

_The amulet absorbs blood!_

Izuku lifted his covers and put the amulet underneath, before pulling a blanket over the murder scene. Theoretically, the mess would be cleaned up by the time he finished with breakfast. Izuku now had his mind set on Emily. She was _real_, and everything she told him was _real_ as well. The first cooperative measure in their coming symbiotic relationship, cleaning up blood stains. He chuckled to himself. He could feed Emily with little problem, but he still needed to go somewhere secluded, with a _good view_ of the moon.

_W__here would I go for a secluded, outside place? This city doesn't have many areas where one can be alone, and I'm NOT summoning her near my house. I can't do that to mom if things go wrong._

He took out his smartphone and made a search for any areas. Location after location passed by until he eventually found what he was looking for.

**Dagobah Municipal Beach:** **0 Stars**

**Reviewer Comments: Trash heap, Disgusting, Lost my toe there, Smells like shit, Dumpster.**

_That'll do! Nobody would hang around a trash beach, the smell alone would deter most, and the seawater would soak any electronics any dumpster divers would be looking for! __I'll have to show up at midnight_ _after my shopping trip._

Izuku put his phone away and left his room, eager to eat the breakfast his mom was cooking for him. The pit in his stomach grew, but it was not just hunger that composed it. Assuming he would be taught magic by the spirit of a dead vampire tonight, one which he is currently feeding his own blood, there was still the issue of his mom knowing about his new abilities. There would be questions, most of which he would not be able to answer truthfully.

_I can't tell her about Emily...maybe...maybe I'll tell her the necklace gave me powers! Or maybe the necklace is a weird quirk that gives me powers. This isn't good, none of that is convincing! How will I explain myself?_

"Hey mom?"

"Yes, Izuku?"

"You know I still want to be a hero, right?"

Inko Midoriya paused, before answering, a solemn expression holding her face.

"I know you do, sweetie."

"If...if I ever had the chance, would yo-"

"YES!", she blurted out, surprising him.

"Y-You would?"

"Absolutely Izuku! If you had some way to protect yourself, to be a hero...I would support you all the way! I'm scared about your career choice but...I still _love you_, you know that right?"

The pit in his stomach was quickly replaced by an ache in his heart. He hugged his mom, struggling to hold back tears. She had no such reservations.

"I know you love me...thanks mom."

Content with his findings, his breakfast, and his reignited purpose in life, Izuku packed his bag for the day. Water bottles, a fair amount of his savings, a recent hero analysis notebook, and a completely new notebook, simply labled **E.M.** He suspected he would have use for it when the time came. He put on some casual clothing, put on the cursed amulet, grabbed his phone and bag, and went out to do some shopping, calling out goodbye as he left.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Kid, does it _really_ matter how old the wood is?", the annoyed shopkeep asked.

"Y-Yes sir, I was instructed to check. My boss is kind of an _authentic _kind of person, haha..."

He sighed and instructed Izuku to wait, as he rummaged through various drawers and cabinets. Eventually, he pulled something out, a dried up husk of a staff. It looked as if it'd fall apart at any second.

"Here ya go kid. Quick question, why the _hell_ does your boss need bat bones, an old ass piece of wood, and exactly four of my silver spoons?"

"I-I don't know, s-sir."

The shopkeep just rolled his eyes, shooing Izuku out of his store.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Are you sure you want _this_ one, little man?", the laid back shopkeep asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well it's just...this type of fungi ain't exactly _legal_ yet, I sell it for medical purposes. You're also a little young to be using something with this kinda punch..."

"O-Oh! No thats not what I'm using it for..."

"_Ohhh_ I see...you're one of those occult types, aren't ya? That's cool that's cool, summon away dude!"

"_S-Summon__?_ N-No thats...nevermind. I'll take it...thanks."

"Don't conjure anything too nasty little man! I don't wanna see you on the news, alright?"

"Y-Yes sir!"

"Groovy."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"That's a lot of blood. Feeding a nest of vampires or something?", the butcher asked with amusement.

"N-No, it's just something my mom likes to cook with."

"Yeah that's usually what the mass purchasers say. Just don't go spilling it on yourself! I've been contacted by police _six _times this year over blood purchases. You think they'd check if the blood was human before following the packaging, but I guess that takes time or somethin'."

"Right...thanks again!"

"Anytime kid."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

_Alright, I picked up some grass from the park, so now I just have to visit a cemetery. I'll actually need quite a bit of soil to make this work, so I'll need to use a shovel. Should show up around 10 pm, gives me plenty of time to make it to the beach..._

Izuku's thoughts were inturrupted as he bumped into someone, their broad shoulder nearly knocking him over

"Watch where you're fuckin' going, dipshit!", growled an angry, _familiar _voice behind him.

He meekly apologized and tried to run off, but it was too late. As he was grabbed from behind, his backpack fell off his shoulders, exposing the contents within. His ex-best friend, Katsuki Bakugou, raised a brow.

"_Deku?_ Is that you? The fuck you carrying that thing around for? It's fucking _scorching _you idiot! What the hell are you carrying?"

Izuku tried to respond, but Bakugou had made up his mind the moment he saw the backpack. He snatched it off the ground before he could get to it and started carelessly rummaging through it's contents.

"K-Kacchan, there's fragile stuff in-"

"What the FUCK is this shit for? Why are you carrying around TRASH? What is this mushroom? It wouldn't fucking surprise me if you spent all day getting _high_, but you're too much of a _pussy_ to even try it."

Bakugou growled and stepped closer to Izuku, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.

"What the _fuck_ is this trash for, Deku? And what the fuck is _that__?_ A necklace? Really?"

Foreseeing what was about to happen, Izuku quickly held out the necklace for Kacchan to examine, hoping to all things unholy he wouldn't try to _touch_ it.

"I-I found it one day and it seemed neat, so I kept it!"

Bakugou glared at him, but didn't touch the necklace. He released his grip on Izuku and walked off, muttering curses under his breath. _"Typical trash Deku."_

Izuku sighed, knowing that if blood was drawn from Kacchan the situation would have escalated dramatically. He took another breath and frowned. He still had a job to do, he still needed to contact Emily.

_I wonder what she would think about him. Maybe they'd get along? He has a lot of fighting spirit. He'd probably make her angry though._

He smiled to himself, and continued on his way.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

There was a problem. Izuku had arrived at the cemetery without any issues, and even found a shovel near the grounds, temporarily borrowing it. It was 10:14 pm, and there were two guards patrolling the perimeter. They hadn't seen him staking out the place, but soon his luck would run out and he'd be investigated. If he was detained, he'd miss his chance to summon Emily and become a hero. This was his future, and he could not afford to screw it up.

_Okay, two guards, and plenty of foliage in the cemetery. The hardest part is getting in, but once I do, I should be able to get what I need as long as I don't hit a tombstone with the shovel or something. I can do this. Just wait until a guard passes and distract the other one._

He shifted a small rock uneasily in his hands. A guard passed parallel to Izuku's sightline and continued fowards. The other was just about to turn in his direction. He got up and threw it as hard as he could, before ducking back down again. The rock flew past the guard and landed several feet behind him, to which he turned around. Izuku saw his chance and silently traversed through the grass, careful not to alert the guard that had just passed. Some time later, Izuku was deep in the cemetery, enshrouded from the perimeter by planted trees.

_I did it! Now...now I dig._

Izuku held his shovel securely in both hands and plunged it into the soil, noting the unmarked tombstone it belonged too.

_To die and be completely forgotten...I will NEVER let that happen to me. All Might will be remembered forever, and so will I!_

He dug with increased vigor, before needing to take a break only a few minutes in. The meager amount of soil in his bag taunted him. His arms burned and his legs were sore from walking around all day.

"I...I knew I should've started working out...d-damnit...", he muttered quietly.

"W-Who's there? Identify yourself!", came a female voice from behind him, along with a piercing beam of bright light.

Izuku froze in place, terrified that he'd been caught in the act. Maybe this lady was talking to _another_ grave defiler?

"L-Let me see your hands!"

_She sounds just as scared as I am. Maybe if I establish myself as non-threatening she'll let me off with a warning?_

"Okay, okay...I'm raising my hands...", he said gently. He raised both hands above him, dropping the shovel as he did.

"Let me see your face."

_Shit__._

"Let m-me see!"

_"I can't...",_ he muttered weakly.

"...HELP ME! SOMEBODY IS HERE!", she yelled out.

_SHIT! _

Izuku sprung up and picked up his backpack, rushing away from the lady who had discovered him. Horrible thoughts tormented him, thoughts of a criminal record and a decline from Yuuei High. He could _not_ be caught or identified. He hoped the meager amount of graveyard soil he'd collected was enough, because every cemetery in the city would be on alert for grave robbers now. He ran, even as his legs burned and screamed at him for relief. The shouts of guards grew more distant, but he couldn't risk stopping anywhere near here. Once he was sure he had cleared a few blocks, he stopped running and fell to the pavement, exhausted and heaving for air, air that felt like it sliced open his raw throat.

Then, he vomited on the ground.

_Life is great, isn't it?_

"This will all be worth it...it'll all be worth it", he desperately repeated to himself, as he got up and took a swig of his water bottle. He clumsily walked to the quickest route to Dagobah Municipal Beach, physically worn, but spiritually burning.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Drenched in sweat and feeling like shit, Izuku Midoriya layed his bag on the sands of the junkyard beach. He had plenty of time before the ritual started, but his exhaustion nearly made him reconsider the entire thing. Nearly. After mentally recovering from almost destroying his entire dream career, Izuku took the reagents out of his bag to prepare the summoning ritual. He took the **E.M.** notebook out and opened it.

_First, lay a foundation of graveyard soil._

Strenuous, but simple.

_Then, take the century wood and pour virgin blood onto a tip._

He plunged the amulet into his palm once more, quickly pulling his hand away before his blood was consumed. He held his hand over a tip of the staff and let it drip down. Personally, he figured stabbing his palm several times today would impair his motor functions, but it's as if the wound was simple decor.

_Next, carve the specified runes into the foundation with the bloodied century wood._

Easy.

_After that, sprinkle grass over the runes, before assorting the bones of bats in a circle around the runes._

Done and done.

_Finally, assort the silver, fungi, and a lock of your own hair in the specified fashion, in the middle of the foundation. After this point, the runes should NOT be tampered with._

Izuku figured he'd take her by her word.

"Well...that's it, I guess. Now I wait."

Izuku took out his phone. He had about 28 minutes before the ritual would begin. He held the amulet and examined it.

_I should feed her. I didn't quite get the chance while I was shopping._

He took the animal blood he purchased from the butcher and dunked the cursed amulet of Emilia into the jars like one does a cookie. It did not take long before his entire stock was greedily devoured.

_Guess it takes more than a few liters to cure centuries of starvation. _

He pulled his shirt down and jabbed it into the flesh near his left shoulder, careful to avoid damaging anything practical.

"AGH!", he shouted, clearly surprised at the burning pain associated with stabbing one's self. The amulet cleaned the wound.

_I guess the necklace numbs after the first use...I just can't keep having an exposed wound on my hand for the rest of my life. I at least want it somewhere...discrete._

Izuku layed down on the sands, staring at the moon.

_I think I'd prefer the grave robbing to waiting around. I've already waited so, so long._

Izuku waited, taking in the salty stench of the trash. Despite the horrible smell, he couldn't help but feel at ease under the gaze of the moon and sounds of the tides. He started meditating, but soon dark whispers assulted his mind, and he knew what it meant.

_The words! Those are the words!_

An alarm came from his smartphone.

Izuku scrambled up and pierced his palm with the amulet once more, but this time the blood stayed on the bone, deliberately unconsumed. It was time. He held the necklace in his hand over the summoning rune, and spoke words in a long dead tongue. Somehow, he knew their meaning.

_"Oh ancient beings, above and below, hear my call and recognize my pact! I, Izuku Midoriya, do wholly bind myself to my hell-spawn patron as I know her, Emily the Vampire! Until I am released from her service, I pledge to obey her command in exchange for her teachings! May her will be made reality, and may I reap the consequences! I now summon you, Emily!"_

The hair, fungi, and silver were set aflame. The grass that was sprinkled over the runes decayed rapidly, and the runes glowed a menacing red, blue, and purple. After a few seconds, all sounds ceased. Emily materialized, the light from the moon shining on her flesh. He knew this was no dream. The vampire opened her bloodied eyes and smiled mischievously at him.

**_"Izuku Midoriya, I accept your terms."_**


	4. Preparation

**_"Izuku Midoriya, there are many benefits to anyone under tutelage. You will learn many, many things. The first thing you will learn..._**

Emily rushed at him, just as fast as she was during his dream, and brought her claw up to his throat, startling him into falling on the sands of Dagobah Municipal Beach.

**_I_****_s to not be distracted by a pair of breasts! Honestly, have you never seen a nude woman before?"_**

Izuku averted his eyes shamefully and blushed heavily "N-Not in person...can't you put clothes on, or something?"

Emily frowned and tapped her forehead.

**_"I cannot. This was the form in which I was defiled and killed by the followers of the christian inquisition, before my soul was imprisoned in the amulet. I honestly didn't expect them to have access to a spell powerful enough to disrupt my own magics, and from that point I was overwhelmed by their numbers...but that's besides the point. Your social ineptitude, particularly towards women, will get you killed."_**

Emily stepped fowards.

**_"Look at me, you pathetic 'man'. Your issue is not that you cannot stop yourself from looking, it is the shame you take in doing so. This...artificial taboo drives your eyes to wander and fills your mind with silly fantasies. Skin should only be an afterthought, especially to one who aspires to be a...hero. Desensitize yourself to me, all flesh is the same...besides, once you have learned what I can teach you, you can bed any flesh you wish with only the slightest effort."_**

_Any?_

Emily smirked. **_"I wouldn't go that far, child. I am not tangible."_**

Izuku burned with shame again, reminding himself that she knew everything about him, knew him better than he knew himself, even. Is this really what was going to stop him from becoming a hero? A naked body? He adopted an angry, determined glare, and took her in once more.

**_"Better. I imagine you'll have no issues with my form in a month's time. Now, let's move on to what I can teach you."_**

Emily the vampire waved her hand across the air, creating four magic runes suspended in animation. Each rune a different color, conveying a different feeling. The red rune made him feel angry. The green, a surge of energy, the purple, a feeling of emptiness, and the yellow...he couldn't pin the emotion down.

**_"Destruction, this school of magic is meant to harm and destroy. The first spell you learn will be from this school."_**

**_"Enhancement, this school of magic revolves around enhancing your physical body or items. Not as glamorous as Destruction, but extremely versatile."_**

**_"Conjuration, this school of magic involves pulling items through space and time, be it a subjugated soul into a deceased body, or a simple tome._** **_This magic is physically taxing, so be careful what you conjure."_**

**_"Illusion, this school of magic allows you to influence the minds of others. Memory wipes, Fear, even a simple sleep spell._** **_This school is particularly difficult for humans to master."_**

Izuku vigorously took notes in his **E.M. **notebook, writing down every word of hers with zealous fervor.

**_"Notes. Good. Once you have learned and successfully mastered your beginner spells, I will provide you the means to learn by yourself. You can always summon me again, but I cannot materialize until the sun goes down.You don't have to redo this silly ritual, we are attuned now. Simply whisper my name into the amulet, I will come to teach you."_**

Izuku wrote the last of her words down, and frowned when she stopped speaking. He looked up, mostly ignoring her nude figure.

"What's the first spell?"

She grinned sadistically.

**_"Exercise."_**

"That...doesn't sound like a Destruction spell..."

**_"It's not. Izuku, dear precious child...if you were to absorb all of my knowledge and attempt to cast a short-range teleport, you would die before even a single cell of yours makes it to the other side. Your body is a conduit through which magic is produced and harnessed, the stronger the conduit, the more efficient the magic. This was not a problem in my time period, but with humanity's success, they have more opportunities to neglect themselves. I am afraid you are a product of this subconscious mindset. Return home, use your "internet" to plan a routine, and abide by it. I will know if you've been a good little student or not, so do not dissapoint me."_**

Wanting to argue but knowing the results already, Izuku sighed and walked home.

**_"You learn quickly."_**

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Izuku returned home, carefully opening the front door and entering. Mom was on the couch, sleeping while the TV was on. Izuku felt a pang of guilt. She was waiting for him to return. He grabbed some snacks from the kitchen and snuck past her, turning the TV off as he did. He entered his room and rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. He could figure out the workout schedule when his brain started working. He set his bag down and climbed under the covers, closing his eyes.

**_"Good morning, my dearest student!"_**

He woke immediately, only to find himself freefalling through the air. It was a shining bright day, with a bustling megacity below him. A city that he was approaching _far_ too quickly for his liking. Emily spoke again in a cheery, playful tone.

**_"Pop Quiz! You have fifteen seconds before you die. What _****_spell or ability potentially in your grasp could you use to escape this situation?"_**

Izuku frantically gathered his wits and answered the best he could.

"A teleport?!?"

**_"Ah! Let's find out..."_**

Izuku felt himself being transported to a different location, he was now suspended upwards in his room, safety out of terminal velocity. He sighed deeply.

**_"Not bad for an utter novice. However, teleportation spells cannot eliminate velocity. This is what would actually happen."_**

Izuku then accelerated massively, slamming into his bedroom wall and...dying? He open his eyes and...

**_"Pop Quiz! You have fifteen seconds before you die! What spell that I know could you use to escape this situation?"_**

_Damnit I'm falling again! At least that means it's just a dream though...let's see..._

"An enhancement spell that sprouts wings!"

**_"Good try, but shapeshifting magic is largely restricted to Druidism!"_**

Izuku collided with the concrete once more.

**_"Pop Quiz!"_**

"Resurrection!"

**_"You'd have to have godlike power to resurrect anything, much less yourself after your own death!"_**

Izuku landed and remained concious for several seconds before dying.

**_"Pop Quiz!"_**

"Teleport into water!"

**_"Drowning is a horrible death...but if you insist!"_**

Izuku collided into the water and was too stunned to move. Emily was correct, yet again.

**_"Pop Quiz!_****_"_**

"Shapeshift into a bat!"

**_"Well done Izuku! It's a shame that spell is more of a 'vampire' exclusive than it is warlock_****_."_**

Izuku was granted a swift death.

**_"Pop Quiz!"_**

"LEVITATION!"

**_"Also a vampire exclusive."_**

Time and time again, Izuku listed off spells that he was sure fit Emily's parameters, but as hour after hour passed, Izuku's gruesome and often painful deaths wore away at his mind. He asked questions to no one in particular, temporarily losing sanity, and thinking about something, _anything_, other than the fall.

_I never saw that girl's face. You know, the one at the graveyard?_

**_"Indeed. Judging from her voice, she is around your age."_**

_Really? I wonder if I'll see her again._

**_"Statistically unlikely._**_"_

_Crunch!_

_Emily...w__hen you said you were **defiled...**_

**_"Rest assured, _****_it was a fitting retaliation."_**

_Oh._

_Crunch!_

_Do you know any...other Hell-Spawn?_

**_"Seeking multiple patrons, Izuku? It won't turn out well for you. Although now that you mention it..."_**

_Crunch!_

_Do you ever feel like all of existence is a simulation, and physics and magic are simply the code?_

**_"Metaphysics was never my strong suit, child. People who devoutly study the concept go mad."_**

_Maybe one day we'll all just...wake up._

**_"Perhaps"_**, she responded, clearly bored with his failure.

_Crunch!_

_HOLD THE FUCK UP!_

**_"Does my little bird finally have the answer?"_**

_You fucking __bitch._

**_"Don't try to flatter me, Izuku. I'm not letting you out of this situation. You have to do that yourself."_**

_All I have to do...is WAKE UP._

Then, Izuku was awake. He was disoriented at first, physically fine but having been mentally freefalling and dying painfully for several hours in dream. He got up and tried to rush to the bathroom, but only made it two steps before he fell to his knees and vomited. He still felt like he was falling, and his internal clock revolved around his incoming death...yet it never came. He was no longer dreaming, he had escaped Emily's test. Passed? Irrelevant. He _survived._

Izuku remained on his knees for several seconds before bursting out in quiet sobs. Yet, throughout his misery, his soul still burned with questions. He checked himself, the necklace was still there.

_Emily...why?_

**_"Because, child, in order to use what I can teach you, you need to disregard your assumptions of magic and this world. Magic isn't sprouting wings or saving yourself from falling. Magic is a means to the ultimate end: Domination. You think of it as a solution to a problem, as if a spell would turn you into someone worthy. This is false in every aspect. Magic is what you use to dominate others, and with dominance comes worth. You make yourself worthy. Never forget that."_**

_Dominance isn't heroism, Emily! I'll use what I learn MY way, to become a HERO. You already know who I aspire to be, so why change me?_

**_"All Might...shifting through your memories, I can tell you without a doubt that he would be comparable to a GOD when I still roamed. In this time, he is more of a public icon, a symbol of a cause. 'Heroism' is just another form of dominance, dominance over villains and dominance over nature, so that they both cannot harm innocents. He achieves this dominance through his otherworldy strength, strength that you can never hope to replicate on your own. You should not hope to be 'just like him', you should set yourself to SURPASS him. Your current method of thinking is flawed, and you will never reach your full potential by focusing on petty ideals and following petty expectations that only limit you."_**

_How the HELL was I supposed to figure out that I could just wake up? You didn't give me anything to work with! You insisted I follow your rules!_

**_"You never had to use one of my spells, because you have your very own! Omnipotence! The spell above all! One that you can use it so long as you are in your mind, and you should have realized that the moment you discovered you were dreaming. Yet you didn't think about that, because DOMINATION was not your goal, you were simply looking for solutions, solutions from the narrow options I offered you. You must set your own parameters, or you will have NO worth to me as a student."_**

_Go to hell._

**_"Hell is no joking matter."_**

Izuku huffed and threw the necklace on his bed, before leaving him room for some cleaning supplies. That stain was evidence, and he couldn't take any chances. A glaring inconsistency flared up in his mind.

_Emily?_

**_"I am able to speak to you outside of dreams because we are attuned. I am in your mind now."_**

_But what about the summoning, the "whisper into the amulet" thing?_

**_"That's what would have needed to be done for humans in my time period...but oddly enough, your soul is extremely stable. I hypothesize it is in relation to your quirkless status, but I cannot truly know until I feed on another person and examine their memories as well. The only use for that amulet now is to feed me, in which I am reliant on you to do so. Animal blood is fine, Izuku, but I much prefer human. Yours is rather sweet!"_**

_I'll...take that as a compliment._

**_"It is! If I had blood like yours in my day, I would never leave my dwelling for anyone else! It'd just be me and you, my sweet little blood thrall..._****_of course, you wouldn't be able to leave either."_**

Izuku recoiled in disgust and went back to his room. Amidst the vomit stain, his workout schedule, finding ways to feed Emily, and his ever burning desire to learn _some_ kind of magic...he had a lot to get done before the Yuuei entrance exam.

Despite the pain, he couldn't wait.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Four months had passed since Izuku had met his master and teacher, Emily the vampire. In that short period of weeks, he had improved his body, seeing small, but detectable mounds of muscle mass in his arms and legs. His workout was not as intense as it could have been, and both he and Emily were content with that. Why?

Because the other half of the day was directed towards "attitude readjustment and combat preparation".

**_"Your opponent is strong, but you must not forget he is a child as well_****_. He will not expect you to think tactically about this situation. Use that to your advantage."_**

Izuku narrowly ducked under a punch from his spiky, blonde haired opponent, Katsuki Bakugou. He had taken that same punch several times in their past altercations, but now he could see it coming. Taking advantage of the mistake, Izuku delivered a cruel blow to his liver, at precisely the spot Emily told him to strike. Bakugou stepped foward and punched his jaw in retaliation, but after that he stopped attacking, gasping and holding his torso instead.

"Fucking...Deku...", he gasped.

**_"Well done. You may now flee."_**

Izuku's free will was returned to him, and he intended to use it. While Bakugou was recovering from his organ wound, the magic-less apprentice turned tail and ran, ran as fast as his legs could take him. He heard curses spat at him, but after a few minutes he knew he was safe. He stopped, breathing heavily and exhausted.

_Why do you keep making me fight him?_

**_"He has dominated you your entire life. Does it not bring some primal satisfaction to see him brought to his knees, by your hands?"_**

_You know it does..._

**_"So there is no issue. Aside from 'attitude readjustment', this child is a worthy opponent, and physically surpasses you in every aspect. He shall make good training for close quarters combat."_**

_Can't I rely on magic?_

**_"My demise was brought about by a reliance of magic. You will not always have the capacity to cast spells, but you will always have your body. Now, you know what happens next."_**

_Right..._

Izuku stretched his arms and legs, before starting a jog back to his home. The system was _simplicity __itself_. He would dedicate the day to training his body by means of exercises, his combat abilities by picking fights with Kacchan (sometimes actively seeking him out), and his dreams would consist of education from Emily.

At first, he was concerned about never being _truly _asleep, but she assured him the act of sleep was far more physical than it was mental. At first he was reluctant, but it didn't bother him anymore. He was always awake in mind, and so was she, apparently.

Life with Emily was often...uncomfortable. At first, the thought of having a vampire in his mind teaching him new things was cool. Really cool. Eventually though, he became increasingly aware that she was _always_ in his mind and _always_ awake. Whenever he went to the bathroom, whenever he was recovering from a strenuous workout, whenever he was eating dinner with his mom, whenever he was...doing things that a young teen tends to do in private...She was always there, and sometimes she was _talkative._

**_"You should learn more about the wars that have occurred since my time, Izuku! I am dreadfully out of touch with current events! Is the church still a dominant power?"_**

**_"Your technological progress is incredible! I still remember when you were living in caves and defecating on the walls...how handsome you folk were then!"_**

**_"Noo-clee-er bom? I see bee em? Do tell!"_**

**_"That girl from your last year of education wanted you to mate her, you daft fool."_**

**_"Your mother is beautiful Izuku! Her body fat must make her delicious! Do you think you could...no, that would upset you greatly, wouldn't it? Such rage! I knew this dragon had fangs!"_**

**_"Hmm...you humans have certainly GROWN, haven't you? I admit, I didn't expect you to dye yourself down there...it was merely a jest child! Feel free to continue! It's been some time since I've personally seen.."_**

He did not willingly talk with her for a few days after that last one, but overall, he found himself actually _enjoying _her company. Despite her ruthless views, complete lack of morality, and harsh teachings, Emily was very good at reading people, and extremely curious, often requesting him to thoroughly research a subject she found interesting.

War, methods of torture, modern weaponry, paranormal sightings, and the historical rises and downfalls of nations being her favorites.

Still, he couldn't complain. He had someone to talk to, and it had been a _long_ time since he's had that. The fact that she was smart and friendly...okay, not always friendly, _playful,_ was enough for him. She knew him better than anyone else, understood him in ways no one else could, and she...she had lived a very long time. Longer than he personally believed, but she understood his skepticism. She knew every conceivable suffering known to man, and did a surprisingly _okay_ job at consoling him.

At least, when she felt like his issues were worthy of consoling.

Their contract was one of pragmatism though, they both knew that. He fed her his blood via the amulet, and she got to teach him "lessons" however she saw fit. Some days they didn't speak at all until nightfall. Some days he would curse her for the things she put him through, some days she would scream at him for literal hours on end if he could not memorize the difference between a rune of shadow and a rune of void, despite the fact _they were, for all intents and purposes, the same fucking thing and achieved the same fucking purpose in 99% of all spells he'd ever fucking need them for._

Still, for the first time in his life, Izuku Midoriya felt like he was growing. No stagnation or loss of purpose. He knew what he wanted, and it was only a matter of time before he got it. His sacrifices had made sure of that. Then one day, she told him to travel to Dagobah Municipal Beach, and arrive by midnight. She made no response to his questions, only saying it was an important milestone.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Despite the horrible eyesore it was, and the smell, this particular beach was pleasing to him. It was peaceful, not to mention it's significance to his life. He ran his fingers up his arm and around his torso. Muscle. Real, genuine muscle. He was still lean, of course, but it was there. Even though it had been months without a lick of spellcasting, he couldn't help but feel some measure of pride at what he'd accomplished since he met her.

**_"We both know I am the best event in your uneventful little life, Izuku. Fret not, there is no shame in basking in the experience of elders. Now..."_**

Emily materialized in front of him, her hollow eyes filling with blood and her bare feet just above the sand, levitating a foot off the ground. She brought one of her hands up besides her face, a sphere of pure shadow forming in her palm. It was darkness, absorbing the light near it in a short radius, enshrouding half of her crazed smile, but her bloodied eyes both remained glowing.

**_"It's time to teach you your first spell."_**

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

**Author's Notes: **Hello everyone, **Delusional777** here! I've had this idea for a while now, but I wasn't sure how to implement it for quite some time. Anyone who's played World of Warcraft, DD, some kind of role playing game, hell even a fantasy book or two, should have some broad idea on what a warlock is, but if not, let me tell ya.

A warlock is a spellcaster who uses "dark" or "evil" magics to achieve their goals, which is usually some kind of personal power over others. These magics include shadow, fire, draining life, demonic summonings, anything to do with souls, and necromancy. Often times a warlock will make a pact with a being of great power, like a demon or eldritch abomination, to gain knowledge or spells in return for their services. There are many ideas on what a warlock is, the most basic being "Male magic user", but this is mine, and it is the one I will use for this story.

Now, before I head off, I have one thing to declare: I do not own _anything_ except the character Emily, and chances are she's overdone as hell too. I do not own _My Hero Academia_, nor will I ever.

Enjoy the story! **-Delusional777 **


	5. Rite of Passage

A week has passed since Izuku learned his very first beginner spell from Emily the vampire spirit.

Real magic was not quite what he was expecting. There were no fancy robes or hats, he didn't get a wand and he didn't have to say any phrases to make the spells work. It was a surprisingly physical action, showing cause and effect. If he moved his body efficiently and projected his thoughts and emotions correctly, the spell would take flight. If he failed to do even _one_ of those things, it failed. Spellcasting was almost a let down, since using just one spell could almost be compared to a genuine quirk. Although maybe, he thought, "magic" lost it's charm the moment everyone got superpowers.

**_"Faster, Izuku."_**

Emily materialized and dematerialized around the salty junkyard, sometimes popping up tens of meters away, sometimes no more than two. The objective was simple, Izuku would cast his first destruction spell and aim to hit her. He was judged off control, speed, power, and endurance.

He had the endurance part down, at least.

Izuku felt the chill of the spell numbing him. His body was physically fine, the limit was in his mind, how much it could endure before the strain of spellcasting caused blackouts and slowed, often incorrect perceptions. Once he thought he saw a ghost, but Emily informed him there were no such entities present. He conjured the shadowy projectile (an action that once took seven seconds, now only taking two) once more and launched it towards his teacher, but while his aim was true, his power wasn't. The **_Shadow Bolt_** fizzled pathetically after traversing a mere ten feet.

He was losing strength, and they both knew it.

**_"Work your mind to it's raw functions, that is the only way it will grow in strength!"_**

He kept up the process as far as he could, sometimes launching the bolts successfully though her metal projection and leaving small, purple-bordered fires in the junk. More often than not however, his bolts struck the sand, or the ocean, or flew into the sky only to dissipate quickly after. His eyes became hazy, but not from drowsiness or physical exhaustion. His literal _soul_ was being taxed. It was not something he knew how to describe, nor did he wish to have the ability.

"What the _fuck _ARE YOU DOING DEKU?!?", came a voice from behind.

Izuku nearly froze up, but the age old instinct had been mostly killed off over the past few months due to Emily's influence. Still, it didn't do anything for his bewilderment. He turned around and saw Kacchan, staring at him with mouth agape, face bright red with rage. His malicious eyes glared a bloodthirsty...blue?

_That's not right, he doesn't have..._

**_"Well done, Izuku."_**

Kacchan faded from his sight, almost as if a great being snapped it's fingers and willed him out of existence. Understanding dawned on Izuku.

_An illusion from the spells?_

**_"Indeed. The void has taken it's toll on your fragile mind. You must recover before our next practice with Shadow spells. I congratulate you on noticing a very obvious flaw in reality, a skill like that will be VERY useful to your endurance in combat_****_, I'm certain."_**

_Is there any way to speed up the recovery?_

**_"If you wanted to learn the school of Restoration, you should have discovered and binded yourself to a Heaven-Spawn. Now-_****_"_**

_You were being serious about that? You've told me a lot about magic but nothing about otherworldly creatures! What are Heaven-Spawn?_

**_"Individually powerful, but far less in number. Now-"_**

_Are you saying angels __exist?_

**_"I'M SAYING IT IS TIME TO PRACTICE YOUR NEXT SPELL, IZUKU."_**

He sighed and sat down glumly on the sands, suddenly taking an acute interest in the various grains of sand below. He didn't think she was serious about what she was asking him to do, and now he was about to pay the price.

**_"Now now, little pet, I promise you will find use in this spell one day. Take it off~"_**

He sighed and stripped down to his bare form, neatly folding the clothes and setting them on one of the cleaner patches of sand. The chill wind bit at his exposed body, but he did not let any discomfort show, this was embarrassing enough. Izuku walked towards the waves.

_**"****It's truly a shame you have no interest in becoming a mercenary or a seafarer, but I'm certain heroes fight in water as they do on the land, do they not?"**_

_Not nearly as often as what you're thinking__...god it's so damn cold!_ _Why can't we practice during the day?_, he mentally complained. The waves sapped the warmth his skin, and the wind only multiplied his suffering.

**_"I cannot project myself during the day because I have been STARVING for centuries! No amount of blood can reverse the damage done! I'm merely trying to survive, dearest."_**

Izuku was now completely in the freezing, filth ridden water. He closed his eyes and awaited instruction from his master. Silently, and without words, she communicated the spell to him in pure emotion. Fear, pain, and pressure. He now knew how to cast the spell. Or, he thought he did. It was safer to ask.

_So...I have to drown?_

**_"No, you need to FEEL as if you're drowning._** **_The sensation is heavily nullified if you prepare yourself, however."_**

Izuku nodded and focused. While some others would question such a drastic action, he knew not to question her, especially while he was learning. The familiar sensation of burning lungs and a desperate longing for air filled his chest, and that's when he knew the spell took hold. He dove underwater and took a deep, salty breath, unpleasantly content to find that he did not swallow any water. **Unending Breath **had been applied to his lungs.

_Painful, but it works._

**_"Nicely done...but how long can it be maintained?"_**

_Maybe it won't...maybe I'll lose control of the spell and almost drown. Maybe while drowning I'll lose your tooth! That'd be a shame, wouldn't it?_

**_"What was that? You want to dip my fang into your mother? Is that what I heard, Izuku?"_**

The boy angrily simmered under the cold waves, but did not respond to her threat.

**_"Ah. I must have misheard. Be a good little pet and feed me now, why don't you?"_**

_While I'm keeping the spell up?!?_

**_"Indeed."_**

Mentally cursing, Izuku dug the fang amulet into his hand and held it in place as Emily greedily feasted on him, all the while trying to manually breathe in the water and keep the spell up. He was the first to admit that multitasking was not his strong suit, but he successfully accomplished the tasks without dying.

**_"Delicious as always! Next."_**

Izuku kept the spell up until he swam back to shore, careful not to step on any of the broken glass. The bitter winds stung at his damp skin and brought sand onto him, sticking to him as it passed by. He always liked swimming, but now he had a newfound hatred for sand.

_Course and rough...and it gets EVERYWHERE!_

"D-Damnit Emily w-why c-c-couldnt you teach me a fire spell f-first!", he groaned.

Emily materialized and looked at him as if he was stupid.

**_"Are you stupid? Why didn't YOU bring an additional set of clothing, or at least a rag to dry yourself off? That's not even your worst offense, Izuku. You just asked a VAMPIRE why she didn't bother to learn a FIRE spell!"_**

"V-Vampires are MYTHS! I have _no idea_ just how much our culture gets wrong about you! T-The thing with the garlic and the cross..."

**_"Why in Heaven's Grace would garlic have ANY adverse effect on me? Christain crosses though...the shape is meaningless, but they were often enchanted by priests and paladins to torment my kind. I doubt many authentic pieces exist nowadays..._****_"_**

Emily stared off into space in some kind of contemplation, her blood filled eyes narrowing in thought. The rapt of her claws against her thighs came from every direction at once, as did every sound she made. Izuku found it odd that she was speaking so radically about crosses, even though they wouldn't be able to do anything to her now.

_You don't exist in the physical world_, he remembered.

She threw a smile brimming with pain his way.

**_"Thanks for the reminder, smooth talker. If you meant that to hurt me, I might have been impressed. Next spell._****_You may dress yourself once you have successfully vaporized every article of your clothing."_**

Still nude, Izuku performed some breathing exercises beforehand. He thought back to his previous attempts at magic. His first successful **Shadow Bolt** took a whole seven seconds to cast and put him to sleep, leaving him with a horrible nightmare in return for his efforts. For whatever sadistic reason, Emily did not remind him he was dreaming. He felt a small measure of pride in his progress. Now instead of casting a spell that incapacitated himself, he could cast it severel times...before incapacitating himself. A few more months and he'd be able to reliably use these in combat...

**_"Anytime, apprentice. I only have eternity. Although you have no such luxuries, I'm afraid."_**

_Right. Here goes..._

Izuku grabbed his sandy shirt in both hands and focused. Thoughts of a foreign concept echoed in his mind. _Nonexistence._ Not to be dead, but to not _be_ at all. A lack of conciousness, a lack of anything. He was thinking about what people think about all the time, but he was doing it deliberately, which made it near impossible. He was thinking, of _absolutely nothing_. He took a deep breath, and soon forgot why he was even sitting down naked on a beach.

Izuku frowned.

"Why AM I sitting naked on a beach? Where are my cl-"

_Oh. Right! The shirt!_

The shirt that was once in his hand was now gone. It had not been teleported or hidden, it no longer existed. It had been**_Vaporized_**.

**_"Well done! Now bring it back, quickly!"_**

Nodding, Izuku opened his senses as well as engulfing his memory in everything he knew about the shirt, from it's color to it's texture to it's smell. Izuku's shirt was brought back from nothingness, truly conjured into reality. It was as real as he remembered it. He smiled widely at the new power bestowed apon him.

"I-I did it! This is _so __cool!_ I can make _pocket dimensions _and fill them with whatever I need! Infinite storage space!"

**_"Tsk tsk, no child, it's not that simple. There is no storage space or pocket dimension, as that implies that time flows, but this is not the case._** **_The item in question simply does not exist until you wish it to." _**

"Ah...still! Being able to hide something on me at any time has to be useful! Could I imprison someone there and then drop them off at a police station?"

**_"I've spent a few decades of my life on that dilemma. Imagine: a blood thrall at any time, whenever one is needed! Unfortunately, souls cannot be vaporized._** **_Now, do the same with the rest of your clothing."_**

_Shouldn't be too difficult, I barely feel anything from vaporizing the shirt._

He was wrong.

The physical exhaustion that came with overuse of that spell was not to be taken lightly. Izuku stumbled awkwardly and dressed himself in his previous outfit, shoes, socks, shorts, and a t-shirt with the word "T-Shirt" on it. He thought it'd be funny, but not a single person ever laughed at it. Emily included.

**_"I believe you are ready to conclude the education of your beginner spells. After this, you will not learn more until you have practiced and mastered what you have already learned. Go home, clean yourself and don a pair of discrete clothing. You are taking a...'field trip', to a destination of my choosing."_**

"What do you mean?"

**_"Trust me, Izuku. It will further your path. All you need to know is that all illusions require and observer to work. A conciousness. A...well I'll just say it won't I? Your next beginner spell needs to be obtained from a LIVING PERSON."_**

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

**_"A left here. Now a right...almost there, little pet..._****_ah, vaporize that bottle, you may need it."_**

Izuku followed the instructions of Emily to the letter. He wore a dark pair of jeans, and old pair of running shoes, a "less obnoxious" t-shirt, a plain green hoodie, and her amulet. The most plain and discrete clothing he had, and he had a feeling he needed it. As he walked at an ungodly hour in what was probably very early morning, he noted neon signs and the whistles of gruff men to suspiciously dressed women harshly piercing the peaceful dark. Strange adults in worn down clothing eyed him with a hint of uncertainty, but ultimately ignored him. Every alleyway, a begger laid or watched their corner, glaring at him as he walked past. He could already tell he did not belong in a place like this. Soon, he reached a narrow dead end alley and was instructed to stop.

_Emily...why are we here? Why the bottle? The people here won't take spellcasting very well. They'll probably kidnap me and harvest my organs or something! How did you even know the way here?_

**_"I don't expect them to be complacent in your practice, in fact, they ARE quite dangerous. In all of my time on Earth, the crime-streets of human cities have sustained my thirst, as well as staying easily recognizable...so much so that I was able to recognize this one from your memories."_**

_My memories? I don't know anything about this place! I've never been here!_

**_"You do not remember, but that does not mean the memory is gone. You were brought here very young, a wrong turn made by your mother. Nothing of event happened. Now...as for WHY you are here...hm. Izuku, you seem to have a stalker. I won't command anything of you, but I suggest protecting yourself."_**

_That's not funny! I'm not here to fight anyone? Emily? Hello? Damnit!_

Izuku received no response, but he didn't need one. If she could hear him, that meant HE should also be able to hear him. Focusing intently, he picked up the faint sound of leather on concrete, rhythmically approaching him. He turned around and saw a grimy, brown bearded shirtless man of average height and a muscular build approach him, adorned with a cruel grin and a long scar across the side of his face that ran from his brow to his chin. Various tattoos were haphazardly inked across his bald head, some nude woman, some odd gang symbols, and many...many...

_Knives. His quirk must have something to do with knives..._

Oddly enough, his pants had no holsters for any such weapons.

"Ain't often we get young shits around this part of town. You here to _roll in the mud_ with one of those fine ladies just around the corner?"

"N-No. I'm not h-here for any reason..."

_"Bullshit."_

The bald thug reached into his torso, the flesh parting gruesomely as he pulled out a knife, exactly one foot in length. Once the knife was in his hands, his flesh closed seamlessly, no damage done. The edge of the weapon was serrated and it looked..._used._ He stepped towards the boy, trapping him against the dead end.

"Heheh, like that trick? I got way more just for liars like you. Listen up. I've been shadowing ya since you entered this region. Figured I could make a quick buck off some pompous brat or lost little kid...but then you started _moving._ Left, right, right again, you avoided the tourist trap and you _tried_ to dress to blend in, but that hoodie of yours is way too damn clean! You avoided _all_ of our patrols and our friendly eyes. I dont know where you're going, but you sure fuckin' know _how_ to get there. So I'm gonna ask again, WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU HERE?!?"

Izuku didn't know how to respond, so he didn't. What would he even say? That a vampire spirit from a cursed amulet fed him directions into a red light district so he could fight a goon and somehow learn an illusion spell inbetween? There was nothing he could to avoid a confrontation, the dude was about to _stab him._ Izuku internally screamed, but not at himself.

_Damnit__ Emily! I just wanted to learn magic!__ I'm not going to fight someone for no reason!_

"Hey! What's that on your neck?", the thug demanded.

"I-it's my...necklace."

The thug stepped back, but still held the knife in his hands securely. Izuku could practically _feel_ the cogs in his brain turning. A greedy light shone in his eyes.

"Hm. Looks pretty authentic, eh? How about this, you clearly ain't here for fighting, your bitch ass is too soft for that. I'll let you live, take that pretty lil' trinket of yours, and you can go back to your boss with your tail inbetween your legs, still attached."

_My boss? He must think I'm from some rival mob. H__e also referred to "our patrols". He isn't just a criminal, he's part of a syndicate! They must have the entire district under their control! That makes sense.__ This is the only way out without a fight but...I can't let him take Emily. Without that tooth, I won't be able to fulfill our contract! I'll be left with these beginner spells for the rest of my life! That's not enough!_

"B-But, don't you want to know why I'm here?", Izuku pleaded.

"Not anymore I don't. Hand it over..._or I'll take it_."

"I...I can't let you take the necklace. It's a worthless knockoff, but someone important gave it to me."

"**Kid.** I FUCKING HATE LIARS!", with a heavy shove against the wall, the thug put the knife to his throat and grabbed the necklace, taking it from him. Izuku suddenly felt naked, _stripped_ of his powers, his future, his DESTINY as the number one hero. He felt like a quirkless little kid, who only existed to be mocked, ignored, and pitied. Like a desperate animal without any options, his instincts took over.

_I'm going to f-_

"-ucking _KILL _you!"

The thug was initially shocked at the sudden bloodthirst he felt radiating from the once cowardly boy, but it was soon replaced with anger. He dropped the knife from his throat and instead punched the smaller boy square in the face, causing a stream of blood to rupture from his nose.

"What the FUCK was that? You wanna say that a little louder you FUCKING BITCH?", he roared. Izuku vision nearly went dark, but he recovered quickly, now enraged and willing to fight.

"I don't care what happens here,_ I'm going to find you _after this! GIVE HER BACK!"

Izuku flared both his hands in shadow magic, sapping the environment around him of color and corrupting the remaining light with an ominous purple. His assailant growled at him.

"You're not the first brat I've put in the ground, but you'll be remembered as the one who wasn't a lil' bitch before their head was cut off!"

The Knife-Man created another blade, now duel wielding weapons, and performed a wild swing towards the child. Trapped in a corner and without any other options, Izuku threw himself to the ground and scrambled past the man, narrowly avoiding a heavy slash. After getting to his feet, Izuku turned and threw both of the shadow bolts he'd been charging towards the thug, sapping all light from the alley as they traveled. Yet when the light returned, he saw the villain unharmed.

"FUCK. Hard to see that shit, but I'm ain't some fucking _D-Rank villain!_ I'm**_ Slice N' Dice_**, and you're just another fuckin' _victim_. Now it's my turn! Give it up kid, it's USELESS!"

Slice N' Dice threw both of his knives towards Izuku, which he stopped in midair with a well aimed shadow bolt and a duck. The villain smiled and took out several, smaller knives from his flesh. He threw them all towards the boy at various speeds and angles in mere seconds, each one a deadly shining gleam of silver in the darkness. Izuku cursed and threw out bolts as fast as he could, focusing on speed and accuracy with no regard for power. One, two, three, fourth one dodged, fifth one missed, sixth...is blue? He launched a bolt regardless, only to realize too late that it was an illusion, and his reckless casting left his very soul sapped, an opportunity that would be capitalized on.

Izuku saw his death approach as number seven rushed towards his face, far too close to dodge or deflect. Purely out of a will to survive, he remembered the bottle, which materialized right in front of him. The knife was blocked, and Izuku was rewarded with a face full of shattered glass.

"THE _FUCK_ WAS THAT?!?! H-HOW?", Slice N' Dice roared, immediately hesitant in his assault.

Izuku growled in pain and picked up the fallen throwing knife of his opponent, discretely vaporizing the item. He could still see, so right now he had to focus on the enemy, not his wounds.

"What makes you think that was my _only_ quirk, you _subhuman _piece of shit?", Izuku said quietly, more out of exhaustion than any malicious intention.

Slice N' Dice stepped back, reluctant to fight apon hearing the new information. Izuku was drained and allowed him retreat. The two stared each other down.

"Alright kid, you got a fuckin' pair on ya, good for you. You better be counting your blessings, because if you weren't some _genetic freak_ with two quirks, you'd be dead already, we both know it. I'm thinkin' we can _parlez-vouzz _outta this shit, you know?"

"_Parley_. Good. I need that necklace back", Izuku demanded without hesitation or fear.

"Sure, but you gotta get the fuck outta here. Don't come back or it won't just be me kicking your ass."

Slice N' Dice tossed the necklace over, to which Izuku caught and put on. His soul may have been drained and his energy burned through, but he felt whole again. His opponent brushed past him to leave the alley, but paused merely a few feet away. He was curious.

"Hey kid, what's your name?"

"...**_Warlock._**"

The villain nodded.

_Emily...are you there?_

A voice as chill as night soothed his nerves, gently whispering praise and approval...but then she reminded him of something.

**_"Izuku...dearest...you are not done here. You need a test subject, and he is right there...with his back turned to you."_**

Izuku looked at the man walking away. They had made a truce, hadn't they? He was no longer a threat, there was no reason aside from learning a spell to harm him. Was that reason enough?

**_"You were willing to kill this man but a few moments ago, Izuku. You vaporized that knife with the intention of using it, your initial shadow bolts had no limits on their power. If they both hit their target, this man would have been crippled. I am not asking for his death, just a test subject for you, for YOUR growth...because I care about you, Izuku._** **_I will not force your hand, but this scum likely has a history filled with betrayal. He deserves it, and you deserve to be POWERFUL. This is the first true step towards your ascension. Are you brave enough to take it?"_**

Izuku blushed at her words. Emily was always playful, but never had her words been this _intimate_. To say he was deserving of power and that she truly cared for him made his heart aflutter...but was she right about his intentions? She knew him better than anyone, being perfectly in sync with his thoughts and emotions, but she must have been wrong. Heroes don't kill the villain! He was just being careless.

_Yes...that's it. I was just being careless._

Izuku stared at the villain, who was now nearly out of sight. Slice N' Dice probably was an evil person, deserving of everything that came his way, and was even willing to kill a kid. Would he act just like him though?

_I don't have to be like him...but there's no point in getting the fang back if I'm going to stop myself from becoming a hero._

Committed to his pursuit for power, Izuku walked at a sluggish pace, catching up to Slice N' Dice and charging a shadow bolt in his right hand. He made sure to limit the power considerably, and when he came within ten feet of the villain, he launched it at the back of his head.

"The f-", Slice N' Dice was unconscious before he hit the ground, and a burst of euphoria surged through the warlock.

**_"Good. GOOD! I knew I would not regret our pact. Now, drag him back into the alley and restrain him. Once he wakes our work shall continue._** **_Oh, and Izuku? Allow me a taste of his blood."_**

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Shen awoke from his slumber to find himself in a precarious position. Tied up and gagged (not exactly a new situation for him), he struggled vainly against the bindings and recalled his memories. A suspiciously clean green hoodie came to mind.

_That backstabbin' motherfucker._

He could still see, and so he looked around. It was the same alley he fought the kid in, with the man of the hour himself...praying above him? The ground felt off too, unusually warm for the time of night. He looked at it and saw a strange symbol drawn into the ground with chalk, with his body in the center of it. A soft red glow came from the freak's hands, and he looked to be whispering to...himself? No. _Someone else._

"Mmpf mmf MMHF?!?"

"You can't see them, don't bother", Warlock said. The glow disappeared and the ground felt cold again. Only then did Shen realize a certain throbbing in his throat.

_The fucker cut me. Not nearly deep or wide enough to kill though...the fuck is he doing?_

"I need something from you, Shen."

Slice N' Dice went into a frenzy at hearing his own name, trying again with renewed vigor to break the binds that connected his feet to his hands. It was to no avail, for it was a strong, proper hogtie.

_So this is it then? I'm being bled out on the ground like a fuckin' animal?!? Just get it over with you pussy. I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME, FREAK!_

Warlock frowned. "You figured that out pretty quickly. Yes, I can hear your thoughts. Well, _I _technically can't, but a friend can. They tell me what you think. **I'm not going to kill you.** I just need something of yours."

Shen thought back to their scuffle over the damn...tooth, was it?

_All this bullshit over a necklace. __I barely got shit, fucking take it and go._

"I can't _take it_ from you. It has to be given. This isn't going to make a lot of sense...but I need your _fear._"

_What the **actual shit**?_

"I need you to...submit yourself to a phrase, a phrase that would allow me to _strip_ you of all your fears. This would help you! After this, you'd become fearless! Afraid of nothing! But you have to agree."

_Sounds nice. But I'd rather fuckin' BITE IT then help your prepubescent baby ass roleplay a fucking wizard. You can't stay here forever, someone's gonna notice you. Go to hell._

The kid tried a few more times to talk, but he wouldn't respond to this failed abortion any longer. This is why he hated those genetic abominations, multiple quirks fucked up the brains of whoever had em, it was fucking scientific at this point. Every single one of them would turn out just like dad, that psychopathic piece of s-

"You leave me no choice, Shen", Warlock warned gravely.

_Oh my **fuckin'** **god **what the fuck is he doin' n-_

Shen felt a touch on his forehead, and the kid held his finger there. From that finger, water started to stream down his body. Gentle at first, the water grew into a quick torrent, sticking to his skin and defying the law of gravity, opting instead for cohesion. Soon a thin layer of water had fully encompassed his skin from the neck down like a thin suit.

Then, the water began to rise. His mouth, his nose, his eyes, soon he felt as though he was completely inside, but he could not move from the prison of rope, much less the water despite his thrashing. It was at this moment he realized he was never the best swimmer. After 55 seconds, he could not fight off his bodily urge to breathe, and swallowed a lungful of water. Despite the low volume of water around his skin, it was like he was under an ocean of the stuff. His thoughts, his instincts, his emotions, every fiber of his being screamed for the ultimate goal of an organism: Survival.

_I'LL DO IT. I'LL FUCKING DO IT!_

The kid removed his finger. In an instant the water was gone, as in, _completely _gone. He was still laying on the cold, dry ground. The pain faded instantly, and he forgot the sensation almost instantly. It's as if the water was never there, in some kind of fucked up dream.

"It's not a dream, and I can call the water back. We're almost done here, so don't back out."

Warlock raised his hands in prayer and a soft glowing red came from them. He muttered some type of incantation in a language he didn't understand, but the language barrier was meaningless, because the intentions were made clear. He could either surrender his fears and be stripped of them, or be subjected to more water treatment...and Shen would be damned if he did not consider himself the most practical of motherfuckers.

_I accept._

The empath sigil that which Slice N' Dice was restrained on glowed a violent red to match that on Izuku's hands. Energy was channeled through his form, and Izuku touched his captive's forehead, once more, splitting his head open in a gorey mess.

Izuku jumped and screamed at the viscera on his...everything.

"E-E-Emily what the fuck?!?"

**_"Relax...he is not dead. He accepted a transaction, his fear for knowledge of yours...which is, at this stage in your apprenticeship, killing another person. Such a noble soul you are! I'm going to have SO much fun with you, little pet~"_**

"S-So...an illusion?"

**_"Yes. You are perfectly clean. Now, grasp his fears and you will have access to a new spell._****_..I believe it's in there."_**

In there. Inside his head, or what remained of it. Izuku gagged at the sudden smell, but steeled his nerves and plunged his hand into the splattered brains of Shen. Suddenly, a vision came over him. What he saw was...disturbing.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

A little boy named Shen was being loved dearly, almost dotingly by his mother on a peaceful school morning. She ruffled his hair and held him close, fearful for another day of him going to school and getting into fights.

"_Mommmmmmm_...I'll be alright! I'm too old for this! I can take care of myself!"

The child Shen escaped the protective grasp of his mother, accidentally scratching her in the progress and fleeing for the door. She barely responded, having felt no pain by the wound, as her quirk kicked into high gear and repaired her cells. One of the rare, awesome cases of a powerful regeneration quirk, and it belonged to a lower-middle class working mother. She charged the child and hugged him once more, wishing him a safe trip and a good day at school.

"And no more getting into fights, Shen-kun! Your quirk is too dangerous! I keep getting calls from the social worker! One more call and I'll scratch you back! I love you!"

He never said those words back whenever he went to school. He never really needed to, their bond was unshakable. Though...he really wished he did now.

_Was._

Shen's mother watched as her beautiful son walked out of view. Once he left, the world seemed just _that_ much more dreary, and reality came creeping out of the creaking floorboards of their downtrodden home. She could barely afford this place alone, ever since her husband was put away, but life was definitely better without him.

_Safer, too._

Ever since he was caught, a multitude of old problems disappeared. Visits from his _friends_, local police surveillance, substances left behind in the house for a far too curious boy to discover...all _vanished._ That's not even to mention his...treatment towards them. Yet, without his admittedly strong financial aid, affording the house and all the things a young boy needs to develop has been difficult. She picked up yet another part-time job, but that was okay. No baby of hers would be forced to work so young! She thanked the stars for her lucky quirk, the lack of hospital bills (of which she would have needed MANY) made things _far_ easier.

_Now all I need is a husband without a criminal record, although at this point I think I'd take a minor offense_, she mused to herself.

_Knock! Knock!_

_Shit. The TAXMAN. Maybe if I keep quiet..._

_KNOCK! KNOCK!_

_Damn. I'll just give him all I have. I hope he understands...and if he doesn't, I could always just..._

Shen would not be home for a long time and the chances of anyone discovering them was incredibly low, and...

She shook her head vigorously, snapping herself out of her filthy thoughts.

_NO. I will never resort myself to that. Those days with him and his friends are over. The only way things will truly get better is if I become better.__ He will understand._

The mother walked to the door and opened it. The blood drained from her face and she trembled before the man in front of her.

"I-I...H-How did you g-get out...?"

"Did ya miss me, you _snitching _whore?"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"C'mon Shen, you could totally kick his ass!", remarked one of his friends, who had a vicious black eye.

"Yeah man, he's just gonna keep messing with us until you beat him up! They never stop until you do something man..."

"Don't be such a _pussy_, Shen. Don't you care about us at all?"

"I thought we were friends man."

Shen lost his temper.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! I CAN'T GET MY MOM IN TROUBLE AGAIN!", he yelled at his friends, who have been pressuring him to violence against their bullies for a few days now. At first, he obliged, because friends look out for each other, right? He pulled out a knife from his flesh and scared the bullies away, but sometimes pulling the knife hurt, as well as the bully when they didn't get scared. He usually got caught by a teacher and given detention, while the bully was given a slap on the wrist. At first, he was okay with this since the bullies stopped, but the world was complicated, and only recently had he become aware that his mom was getting in trouble because of him.

He would _NEVER _get his mom in trouble, not for anything or anyone. His friends were not as understanding.

"Why am **I** the one dealing with **YOUR** bullies? Figure it out guys, I can't get in' trouble anymore. Stand up for yourselves! Get in trouble yourself!"

"Man whatever Shen. Be an asshole."

"I will. BYE."

Shen stormed home ahead of his friends, not willing to talk to them anymore. He was stressed, and mom wouldn't be home until late at night.

_...I should make her dinner. She'd like that! Gotta make her promise not to freakin' hug me anymore, heh._

Shen kept walking until he reached his house. It was creaky, had a couple of bugs in it, and he was pretty sure he saw a rat in his room once...

_It's home._

He gently opened the door.

_What an exhausting day. I didn't get math homework did I? I was always bad at that..._

Suddenly, he heard a bump and a muffled grunt from somewhere in the house.

"Huh?"

Shen investigated the noise, probably a rat or something, but after scouring the entire kitchen and "living room", he found nothing.

_Weird. _

Then, he heard another bump, and this time it was muffled sobbing. His instincts alerted him of danger in the house, his hair standing straight on end. It's been a very, _very_ long time, but he heard that noise before. On a day where he secretly stayed home from school, only to find that both mom and dad stayed home as well. She never told him what those noises meant, but he could tell she was in pain.

_My mom is here...and someone is hurting her..._

Enraged and filled with fear, Shen crept over to the kitchen for the house phone, only to find that the line connecting the phone to the receiver was cut by someone. He was alone, and someone was hurting his mom in the house. Someone that could be dangerous. He picked up the biggest kitchen knife from the knife drawer, until he remembered a tip he heard from one of dad's friends.

_"Remember kid, when it comes to knives, you're not going to kill a guy by stabbing him unless you really know what you're doing, he'll fight back or run away. What you wanna do is **slice him**, bleed him out so that even if he gets away, or you get got, he's going down too."_

Shen put the big knife back, and picked up the long one with the serrated edge instead, and advanced towards his mother's room, where the horrible sounds got louder, and he got angrier.

"S-Stop..._he's_ gonna be home s-soon..."

_Mom..._

"Shut the _fuck up._ I thought I told you to only use that mouth for _me._"

Shen's blood ran freezing cold. It was_ DAD._

Shen peeked around the corner of the doorway and saw a truly horrendous sight. His father was...preoccupied, but his mother. She stared right back at him, tears in her eyes and completely stripped of all clothing, and worst of all, her _mouth was missing._ It was just flesh, without any features. One of dad's quirks, **FleshMold**. She looked at him and narrowed her eyes, blinking twice, then three times. He understood what she meant, as they had talked about the signal before, but could not believe it.

_She wants me to run?_

No. Fuck no! He would not run. He is SHEN, the beater of bullies and future pro hero, **Slice N' Dice.** That's all dad was now, a bully. He would save his mom, _he would save anyone who needed help._ Shen drew a deep breath and ran into the room, knife brandished in his hand.

**"GET AWAY FROM MY MOM!"**, he screamed fiercely, jumping from the floor to the bed from which his mother was bound, and swinging the curved blade down into the face of his father, who was completely unprepared from an ambush from his child, hell-bent on the spilling of blood.

"AHHHHH F-F-FUCK!", the defiler screamed out in pain, backing away from his victim and assailant. He brought his hand up to his left eye, only to find himself permanently blinded by the wide slice. He looked at his child, who was already preparing another swing, this one a lethal blow, aimed for his throat. Without any time to dodge, the hardened criminal blocked the blow with his forearm, taking a grisly slice. While the blade was lodged in his arm, he grabbed Shen's attacking arm and smiled cruely, pulling the boy down and forcing him to lose the grip on his knife. He eyed the knife warily, but did not move, and stared at Shen instead.

The young boy, already accustomed to being thrown around by larger bullies, got up quickly and grabbed the knife from his father's arm, but when he tried to pull the blade out...

Shen's eyes were suddenly full of tears, but he would not understand why until he saw his arm, the place where his father grabbed him. A jabbing, protruding sensation ripped through muscle and sinew as if it was tin foil, springing forth explosions of wracking pain. From his wrist and the back of his elbow, his own bone grew both ways with a sharp tip, piercing the skin and continuing the grow. His father's second body horror quirk **Bone Sharpening**, had taken effect. Overwhelmed by the agony, Shen collapsed to the ground and wailed out for an end to his suffering.

Before the pain tore his mind into pieces and forced him into unconsciousness, Shen was pinned down by his father, who plucked the blade that was once used in valiant defense. In an act of unrelenting cruelty, his father dug the blade into his face, and dragged it down from his brow to his chin. All the while, he could not scream, for he had no mouth.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Izuku tore himself away from the ritual, broken out in sweat and fear. Nearly vomiting from the experience, he held down his bile through sheer force of will. Hovering above Slice N'- _SHEN. _Hovering above Shen, was a glowing red sphere of raw energy. His instincts told him to grab it, and so he did. He felt a surge of energy. and a surprising lack of...anything else.

**_"It is done, Izuku. You have stripped him of all fears and taken it for yourself. When you cast this spell apon an opponent who has not yet conquered fear, they shall be exposed to their worst nightmares in the land of the sun. Use it wisely..."_**

Izuku did not respond, not verbally or mentally. His emotions were too distraught, too chaotic, too afraid. He glanced at Shen, who was now struggling harder than ever to break his binds.

**_"He no longer fears ANYTHING. Unless you intend to kill this man, it would be wise to depart, dearest."_**

Izuku got up and briskly walked out of the alley, but stopped just as soon as he was nearly out of view of Shen. He remembered the throwing knife he picked up from their fight and conjured it in his hand. A thin, weighted knife with little edge and a pronounced point. Izuku dropped the knife on the ground and picked up another throwing knife, this one not as straight, but with a curved, serrated edge. He vaporized the knife and escaped the red light district, leaving Slice N' Dice tied on the sigil.

_Emily...can we skip training in my dreams? I just want to sleep._

**_"...Of course. You surpassed my expectations. Rest well, little Izu~"_**

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

**Author's Notes: **It's been awhile since I uploaded anything, but I realized I _like_ creating content. My hands are cursed so I cannot draw or draft, so that leaves me with my ideas only. How better to communicate those ideas by writing them? I cannot honestly say how much longer I'll be doing this. Fanfiction kind of was just a phase for me...but I DO enjoy it still. I'm going to work on Augmented Hero tomorrow.

Truth be told, I had first intended Slice N' Dice to be a reacurring, "funny" villain, who Izuku kept around for fun or couldn't catch because he kept lucking out, but then I remembered that Izuku was a warlock, and the class quests from old World of Warcraft usually had you do something special for a spell (even though Fear was never one of them), and I wanted to incorporate that kind of thing into my story. So instead of Izuku beating up some guy for a spell (boring) or getting through an army to get Emily's fang back (not yet he can't!), I decided to create a REAL character with past sufferings to balance the "I'd waterboard a dude for power" side of Izuku with the "Every villain was once a good person, a hero shouldn't waterboard dudes for power" side. How did I do with Shen?

_Might_ see you guys later! **-Delusional777**


	6. Harmless Indulgance

A few weeks passed since Izuku had stripped a man of his fears in the pursuit of power. Practicing with **Fear** proved to be a challenging endeavor, not because of the difficulty of the spell or it's toll on the user, but because of Izuku's stubborn insistence on not using it on Bakugou Katsuki. It was a good problem to have, considering the vast majority of her students learned spells at a far slower pace. Indeed, Izuku had a surprisingly unyielding magical endurance compared to her previous students, all those centuries ago. In addition to his endurance, he learned spells like a _master_. Reliable shadow bolts in the span of a few days? What kind of creature was he?

_Still_, Emily mused quietly to herself, _I cannot let him know of his impressive progress, lest he stagnate in his training. Perhaps one day he will posses the raw power needed to free me from this accursed amulet..._

Emily knew it was a hopeless pursuit. Breaking a dead man's spell was almost impossible, but he was her best chance at freedom. Her previous companion, Emilia, was a talented spellcaster, but she was mortal like all humans. With her death, her only source of blood was gone, and she resumed her eternal slumber. She swore it would be different this time, Izuku Midoriya would be the one to free her, for his potential was...was...

**_What is he doing...__?_**

Emily peered through her pet's eyes. He was...drawing costume designs? Izuku wasn't a master artist, but he possessed some talent and had clearly practiced before. It was an elegant robe and cape, dyed red, white, and blue. She noticed an obvious parallel color design with the God-Hero, All Might. The worship disgusted her, did this child not wish to surpass the hero? The costume itself was flawed as well. It was something a king would wear, not a warlock. He would need to be quick on his feet and agile enough to swing a blade, not stumbling over his own convoluted outfit!

_No pockets or satchels? Where would he keep a weapon or a grimoire? That cape would get him **killed**. This boy must learn._

Just as she was about to voice her concerns, Emily noticed the other page, aside from his childish costume. The drawing portrayed a woman with healthy hips and a considerable bust, covered by a regal, black robe embroidered with purple gems and intricate designs. What little she saw of the women's arms were muscular, and her hands possessed claws and an icy spell of some kind. Her skin tone was deathly pale, yet her hair was a black as raven's down. The women's eyes were a pure blood red, void of pupils or human characteristics. She was smiling. Emily felt an odd emotion surge through her.

**_...perhaps I shall scold his design at a later time_**, she decided.

"Hey Emily?," Izuku started, his mind burning with questions as usual, "How do you know so much? You were...killed in Europe, right? How do you know Japanese? How are we talking? Do _Oni_ and _Kitsune_ exist?"

Indulging in her good mood, she answered honestly, **_"I traveled to Nihon before I was captured and bound. I was curious for human culture, which varied drastically dependent on region. Trivial to you, but when I still roamed the Earth, every adventure into different lands may as well have been into a different world altogether. Learning your accursed language was difficult, as it had no latin or germanic roots..._****_ah, and yes, those creatures exist...or...DID exist."_**

"What was your favorite thing about Japan?"

The response was instant, as delightful memories of drunken lust assailed her.

**_"Sake!_** **_Such a wonderful substance...I yearn to drink of it again..."_**

Izuku came to a horrifying realization, and Emily a euphoric one.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"E-Emily...I really shouldn't be here...", Izuku muttered to himself.

After waiting until his mother went to sleep, he had snuck out of his room and took to the streets of Musufatu, with a fair amount of saved up cash on hand. He now had a bar in his sights, a mere street away from it's entrance. He could already hear it's rowdy crowd.

**_"Calm your rampant nerves, little pet. I've seen children as young as 8 be served in these places! You may have to pay, but they won't turn down good ryo."_**

"_Ryo?!?_ I have_Yen_, Emily!"

**_"I care not for your nation's irrelevant change in currency! I only wish for enough to feel again. I'll speed up your training if you do...aren't you tired of practicing the same spells every night?"_**

He was. He was _incredibly _tired of the same spells. He thought he would have recieved the means to _learn on his own_, as Emily promised, but it never came, only more practice. But still...

"If I'm caught trying to buy sake...that's grounds enough to deny me entrance to Yuuei! My entire hero career could be ruined."

**_"Then don't get caught...wouldn't you like some as well? You have done nothing but train as of late. You deserve this. Not many have the means to obtain sake, but you are capable. I can assure you, the sensation is pure bliss. "_**

Izuku frowned and approached the bar, ignoring the immature excitement bubbling in his chest.

"I'm not doing this to get drunk. I'm doing it for the spells...for the spells..."

Izuku walked as if he was a passerby and peered through the windows. A multitude of drinks were laid apon the tables, with their patrons almost protective of them. Despite this, everyone looked to be enjoying themselves, with the exception of a few barely moving bodies by the bar. Nobody looked around his age, he would stick out like a sore thumb. He had a feeling a bribe wouldn't work out. It would be a simple task to walk in, **Vaporize **a cup and it's contents, and run out, but there was the small problem of not being able to identify what was in their cups.

"Emily, there's no way I can..."

His protest was interrupted by grunting and panting, and a few curses as well. Curious, Izuku turned a corner and saw two men struggling to transport a barrel into the backdoor of the bar.

"Fuckin...dickhead...why the _fuck_...didn't you bring a cart?", asked one man.

"Why...did _you_...park the truck...so fucking far...away?", replied the other.

"Because carrying barrels of _booze_ through the front street is a little fucking _obvious_, dipshit."

Izuku pieced together a story, as well as a plan.

_They're alcohol smugglers! They don't have equipment, and they're trying to stay away from prying eyes! They probably have sake in their truck! I just don't know WHERE it is..._

**_"A non-moronic observation. You will have to tail them to their...'truck'."_**

Izuku waited silently from around the corner, waiting until he heard a sigh and a groan from the men starting their trek back to the truck. He crept foward and followed them from a distance, making sure to hug corners and press against walls to avoid being spotted in their peripheral vision. The action was unnecessary, as the men never turned around or even looked around, their bodies and spirits likely exhausted from the work they've been doing. After a few minutes of non-traditional navigation, the pair arrived at the truck, opened the back door, heaved another barrel into their arms, closed the door, and started their journey anew.

**_"The door possesses no locks, simply a latch. Such lazy, brainrotten criminals..."_**, Emily mused.

Izuku briskly made his way to the truck, only opening the latch and the noisy door once he was certain the smugglers were out of earshot. He took out his phone and brought illumination to the shadowed interior. He was surrounded by barrels of various alcohols, all different colors. Emily would have fainted if she had a body, instead opting for a deep, seductive purr.

"Shit...", Izuku muttered, knowing very well he wouldn't have the magical capacity to vaporize a barrel and all it's contents. In order for Emily to have her fill, he would have to remain _inside the truck_ while she did, or else risk losing her amulet again.

_Emily...did sake have some kind of signature color? There's no labels on the barrels!_

**_"What is the rush, dear pet? It will take them some time to come back. You should be enjoying yourself right now! Why, any one of my past students would have been delighted to be surrounded by such liquid euphoria..."_**

Cursing under his breath, Izuku conjured a curved throwing knife and repeatedly stabbed a hole in one of the barrels, before lowering Emily's fang into them.

_Is that it?_

**_"Delicious...but it is not sake..."_**

He repeated the process with a barrel of different color, ignoring Emily's protests at being seperated from whatever swill she was drinking.

**_"Hmm. No."_**

**_"Such a new, interesting flavor..."_**

**_"Ack! Was this drink made for lonely housewives?"_**

**_"Rather flat..."_**

**_"You could thin paint with this, hehe."_**

**_"This...might actually be deliberately poisoned..."_**

**_"Mmmm..."_**

_Emily? Did you find your sake? They'll be back any minute!_

**_"N...no...keep lOOking!"_**

Emily was drunk, he realized. Sighing, he repeated the process again on another color barrel. There were only two colors left untasted, so hopefully this was the one. As he lowered Emily's fang into the barrel, he accidentally nudged one of the tested ones with his foot.

_Wait...how did I move it with just one foot?_

Izuku shone his phone light into the barrel and gasped, horrified at the sight. It was empty. He looked into the other ones, they were empty as well. _Every single barrel besides the first that Emily tasted was completely drained of alcohol._ Even the _poisoned_ one was empty!

_EMILY!_

**_"Y...yes?"_**

_I thought you were just testing them! You fully drank every single barrel! _

**_"Sho?"_**

Izuku fumed silently. He was in a situation where he was risking his life and his career so a vampire spirit could get drunk! If she just tasted them then he could have been gone by now! Izuku wished that he had a way to punish her, but she had the upper hand in their pact, always. Despite his rage, he still wanted more of her teachings, and this would _not_ be a wasted trip. Izuku violently dunked the amulet into the two remaining untested barrels.

_Which one?!?_

**_"SECOND!"_**, a drunken Emily desperately cried.

Izuku submerged the amulet in the preferred drink and watched as the entire barrel disappeared in mere seconds. Izuku had gotten Emily drunk on sake, their agreement had been fulfilled. Time to go. Izuku placed the fang around his neck and ran away from the scene of the crime, knife in hand.

**_"I...Izku...more...?"_**

_You want MORE? You can't get any more drunk Emily! We're LEAVING._

**_"Please...?"_**

Izuku suddenly felt compelled to turn back. To obey his master and even have some for himself. He would be lying if he never wanted to get drunk, to indulge himself on alcohol or even some other substance, just to feel something other than...

Izuku shook his head, vigorously aware of the foreign urges the vampire was placing in his mind. How long could she do that? Has she been manipulating his emotions since the beginning? Horrified, furious, and burning for answers, Izuku ran from the scene, not turning back to face his corrupted desires.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

After a near-pointless night of crime, debauchery, and uncomfortable advances from a drunk, _appreciative _vampire, Izuku was ready for whatever was in store for him the night after. Emily had been strangely quiet ever since that night, likely fighting off a hangover.

_Can vampires even have hangovers? She's in spirit form too, so can spirits have hangovers? She can drink blood from the amulet, but she remarked one of the barrels was poisoned. The alcohol affects her, but the poison doesn't? Or was it a metaphor? Supernatural physiology makes no sense__, no wonder it's just reduced to a dumb plot device in every single work of fiction._

**_"Izuku. My apprentice..."_**

His head perked up, as if searching for the person who wasn't there.

"Yes, Emily?"

**_"The beach. A binding sigil, simply trace it in the sand. Bring a book that will not be missed."_**

_She's being serious..._

Izuku traveled to the beach and did as he was instructed. He deliberately emptied his mind, hoping to catch Emily pushing emotions onto him, but he felt nothing. He took out a book: **All Might, Man or Mythos?**, which claimed to offer an in depth study of All Might, but only presented surface level facts that he already knew since he was five. He would never get that money back, but knowing the book would be destroyed was bittersweet. It _was_ an All Might book, after all.

He placed the book on the sigil and awaited instruction, but what he got was more than he'd bargained for. Emily materialized before him for the first time in weeks, her uncovered skin a fair, lively tone of color, completely different to the deathly pale tone when he first saw her. She spoke, not from within his mind, but _to him_, as if she was really there. Perhaps the most unsettling detail of it all was the shadowy magic flowing from her hands.

**_"Izuku Midoriya. When you first summoned me apon this beach for powers beyond your own, I was a mere fragment of a spirit. I had been blood starved for centuries and bound to my own fang...now made an amulet. I admit to making this pact out of desperation, but due to your flawless performance as a blood provider and...adequate performance as a student, I believe I am ready to sweeten our deal! _****_I am not fully fed, but I now possess the strength to interact with objects within a binding sigil. Observe."_**

Emily raised her hands over the book and chanted a strange, menacing language, filled with gutteral words and brutal tones that delighted in the fear that was sparked in his heart. Her muscles tensed and the book levitated, it's previous contents burned away and replaced with hellish symbols composed of blood. She held the trance for several seconds until her skin turned to a pale grey and the sanguine light in her eyes dimmed. After her strength failed her, she disappeared from his sight, her materialization gone.

The book without a cover or title dropped to the ground, an anticlimactic end to the ritual. Izuku's heart hammered away in fear for his demonic companion.

"E-Emily! Are you okay? What happened!?!"

There were several moments before he received an answer.

**_"All...all is well, child. Do not fret. I was simply not as prepared as I thought I was. Casting any kind of magic...even within a binding sigil...it drains me immensely. When you indulged my desire for sake...I found myself able to directly influence your emotions...I assumed it to be a sign of my strength returning...I overestimated mys-...no...UNDERESTIMATED the power of my prison. I will be well once again...just not tonight, dearest."_**

Izuku took in the information, each word helping soothe his adrenaline laced heart. Emily would be okay. All was well. He glanced at the newly transformed book, a strange symbol on it's cover and a suspicious looking texture.

"What...what is this?"

_What could be worth hurting yourself for?_

**_"The next stage of your training...your FUTURE."_**

Izuku picked up the book from the sand, curious of it's contents but unable to open it. It felt heavier than the book he left on the sigil before.

**_"You must imprint on it. No one but you will be capable of reading it."_**

He understood immediately, taking Emily's fang from around his neck into his hand, gently cutting into his palm. A single drop should do, the wound wouldn't bleed excessively, and should heal before anyone took notice. His firm but gentle hands have done this many times before, expertly applying pressure. A drop of blood fell onto the book's title symbol.

Izuku felt like he was standing on the edge of something.

He opened the book, the hellish symbols and infernal scripts were now readable, and inside...

"Is...are these...?"

Emily materialized within the binding sigil and spoke, yet her voice was wrought with pain and came from within. She was not really there like she was before, but her will remained unbroken.

**_"Spells, and how to cast them. Rituals, and the ingredients needed._** **_Enchantments, Alchemy, as well as a broad array of information on mythical creatures. Everything a talented apprentice needs to become a force of reckoning! Your grimoire will contain the sum of all my knowledge you will require for the foreseeable future. This is my gift to you for what you have given me."_**

Izuku nearly cried tears of joy. He was holding his literal future in his hands, hurriedly skimming through the pages and taking in the names of all the spells he would one day learn.

_Drain Life, Freezing Touch, Detect Invisibility, Memory Wipe...**Vampiric Transformation**__...the pages never stop...there must be hundreds here! Emily, this is all so..._

**_"Magnificent...isn't it?"_**

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Izuku walked back home from the beach, his nose deep in the grimoire, muttering excitedly and speculating possibilities, until Emily alerted him to a strange discovery.

He looked up and saw the beach, it's shining sands and clean waters inviting him for a swim, despite the freezing temperatures he would endure. He was almost tempted to jump in, until he realized what was wrong with the picture.

_Dagobah Beach...is clean?!?_

As far as the eye could see, there was hardly an imperfection in the sands of Dagobah, aside from a large remaining pile of junk, several hundred feet from the seawater. Izuku approached and investigated the junk pile, finding it brutally smashed into the dirt, with a pickup truck nearby. Whoever did this to the junk either had large construction equipment...

**_"_****_Or possessed strength comparable to the god-hero, All Might.__"_**

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

**Author's Notes**: What's this? All Might has an heir to OFA who ISN'T Izuku? Take your best guesses as to who!

Lemons will not be a thing in this story. I probably won't ever go into detail, but chances are THIS Izuku will be more sexually active than Augmented Hero Izuku.

santiagoabelcampos: I cannot say for certain if Shen will seek revenge against Izuku, but he will be seen again later in the story.

Una traducción aproximada*

No puedo decir con certeza si Shen buscará venganza contra Izuku, pero Shen verá a Izuku más tarde.

Up next, a timeskip to the Yuuei Entrance Exam! **-Delusional777**


	7. Bot Scrapping

Izuku was pretty emotional. He could admit that. From getting into fights with Kacchan, reading heart wrenching disasters to Emily for her amusement, or simply thinking too much about a bug he squashed (what if it had a family?), he found himself shedding tears or coming close. Yet no matter what he'd been through, he has never quite been as close to a breakdown as today, the day of the Yuuei entrance exam, the most important day of his life so far.

**_"..."_**

Ahem, the _2nd_ most important day of his life so far.

Izuku was had spent all of last night, nay, last _week_, rushing to practice a new spell. leaving him with barely any time to prepare for the actual exam. He assumed himself to have enough intelligence to breeze through the written portion, but as for the physical...

Izuku hurriedly packed the essentials. Emily's fang, absolutely. That's it...right? No! Clothing, that's obvious, he put on his school uniform, but that wasn't all. His mom provided him with a pleasant, teal colored tracksuit. The grimoire, in case he needed some last minute tips (or if he just got bored), maybe a water bottle? Would he have to lug around all of his stuff or could he bring a backpack? He was so fixated on learning magics that he didn't even check the website for details, knowing only a time and a place.

_I should've double checked! I hope no one laughs at me for overpacking!_

Not daring to be late, Izuku called out a quick goodbye to mom and rushed out the door into a harsh light, trying to ignore Emily's harsh scolding on the way.

**_"You never told me you would be fighting unliving opponents!"_**

"I assumed you knew! The Yuuei entrance exam _always_ has robots! I figured you took that into account when teaching me the beginner spells!"

**_"Robots? Constructs you mean, and no, I did not search your ENTIRE memory, you have lived a rather boring life."_**

"Well _shadow bolt_ and _fear_ don't work on non-living targets, and I can't exactly kill robots with my ability to breathe water. Why didn't you tell me that? Why did I have to find out those details a _week_ before the exam by reading the grimoire?"

**_"Constructs are exceedingly rare! Or at least they were while I still roamed! How was I supposed to anticipate your society to have become too cowardly to have your children fight each other directly?!?"_**

Izuku groaned, bickering with Emily the entire way to the entrance exam location. According to his _extremely helpful_ vampire spirit master, shadow bolt eats away at an opponents life force, requiring them to be living in order to have any effect. Fear manipulated the mind of a target, so if the enemy did not have the capacity to _feel_ fear, it would have no effect. Underwater breathing wouldn't benefit him here. All of this led to Izuku cramming to learn a spell that would work with only a week's time to become proficient, and neither of them were happy about it. Izuku exited a train along with many other students hoping to get into Yuuei, focing him to keep his anger internalized.

**_"You should have informed me of the circumstances"_**, Emily said, refusing to be wrong.

_You should have taught me more than one offensive spell! Was I really supposed to be fighting quirked people with just shadow bolt to take them out? Or did you expect those fistfights with Kacchan, which I usually LOST, by the way, to mean anything in a quirk battle?_

**_"You dare question my flawless training and treatment of you?_** **_Why if I still had my body I'd-"_**

_You DON'T have your body, if you did you would be in prison by now! __I still remember what you tried to do to me in my dreams!_

**_"That does not count, child. I was drunk."_**

"It _especially _counts when you're dr-"

"Get the fuck outta the way, Deku!", the infamous Katsuki Bakugou growled from behind him. Izuku instinctively flinched, not from fear, but from the detection of a threat.

_Just what I fucking needed_, he thought, his irrtation turning to rage. A part of him hoped that Kacchan would try to shove him out of the way, just for an excuse to...

Part of him was surprised at his own aggressive thoughts, but when it came to Bakugou, no remainder of his past self lingered. Izuku scowled, staring at the boy and refusing to move. Bakugou stared straight ahead and kept walking.

"I ain't here to kick your dumb, quirkless ass, Deku. They'll throw us out is any shit goes down...so _fuck off._"

Bakugou moved to one side of Izuku and harmlessly passed by, with only a few people staring at their lack of confrontation. Already he could sense the shift in tension among the crowd, and what came next only bittered his mood.

"That scrawny kid would get his ass beat", whispered a bystander.

"Yeah, no excuse for the blonde one to be a dick though", said another.

Already inflamed with irritation, Izuku marched foward. He had spent the better part of a year living with Emily in his head, offering blood (often his own) in exchange for her teachings. He had built his body, honed his mind, and looked into the void only for it to stare back. Yet, even now he was looked down apon as weak. He'd show them what he could do.

**_"Good, Izuku. Pay no mind to the opinions of prey..."_**

Feeling confident, he continued walking to orientation without any chaotic thoughts in mind, and no one ahead.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Can I get a **HEYYYYYY!?!**", the voice hero Present Mic requested, attempting to rile of the all-too serious crowd infront of him. Unfortunately Izuku was among those, feverishly reading from his grimoire and the pamphlet provided, which detailed different types of robot enemies they would face in the entrance exam. He needed every edge, and while he was excited to see the voice hero in person, his future as a hero was at stake, yet again.

When Izuku discovered his spells would not work, he had choose another one to learn within a week. Emily had reccomended _Freezing Touch_, but he was stubbornly stuck on another spell the moment he laid eyes on it. **Telekinesis.**

_I'll make you proud, mom!_

**_"That spell is exceedingly difficult for a beginner, Izuku. You may learn it to your mother's capacity, but I sincerely doubt you'll be able to put any force behind it. Certainly not enough to throw constructs around_****_ within a week's time!"_**

He remembered himself grinning.

_"Who says I need the force to throw constructs?"_

"...-and of course, unheroic actions such as attacking other contestants are forbidden!", Present Mic continued, much to the dismay inattentive apprentice.

_Huh?!? Shit! I must have stopped listening.__ Emily, could you repeat...__?_

Kacchan sighed, sick of the dipshit besides him. Not only had quirkless Deku refused to give up his dream of being a hero, the two ended up getting into fistfights every week consistently. Somehow, like it was deliberate, Izuku ran into him and started some shit, cranking his _fucking annoying_ meter up to 300. Clearly he whooped his ass too hard once, because now he couldn't even pay attention to Present Mic, one of his favorite heroes. Now that he thought about it...

_Deku's been on some fucking shrooms ever since school ended...since when could that little coward start a fight with me? Even today...staring at me like that._ _It's like the little bitch got possessed._

Katsuki ground his teeth in frustration, glancing over at Izuku who was nose deep in that fucking book, then widened his eyes and stared at Mic, confirming his suspicions that Izuku missed every detail about what was going on.

"You..._fucking dumbass. _It's a point system. Can't even pay attention because of that...what _the fuck?_ What fucking language is that, Deku?"

Izuku closed the grimoire as quietly as he could and looked straight at Mic, ignoring the incidental help he had just received from Bakugou. It didn't feel right in the slightest to acknowledge him, and he didn't need him getting suspicious of occult activity. His first victory, his first _true _victory, needed to be nothing short of _absolute perfection._

_Not until the time is right._

"Excuse me, I have a question!", came a voice from just below the two boys. A spotlight illuminated him, tall, very dark hair, a boy wearing a tan coat and glasses rigidly, almost _furiously_, spoke as if he was undergoing a ceremony.

**_"Or an execution."_**

"On the printout there are 4 types of faux villains depicted, but you only described 3! If this is a misprint, than Yuuei, the most prominant school in Japan, should be ASHAMED of that foolish mistake! We examinees are here to become heroes!"

_Huh_, Izuku thought to himself, almost laughing, _he sure takes this seriously._

**_"I love these types, Izuku. So idealistic and easily manipulated. You should be friendly towards..."_**

"In addition! You two boys!", he pointed abruptly towards Izuku and Bakugou, "With the curly green and chaotic blond hair! If you intend to hardly pay attention or argue while the rest of us intend to learn, do so outside! It is distracting!"

The pissed off pair of foes glared daggers into the impenetrable aura of the unknown enemy. Neither side showed any weakness, and Bakugou was about to offer a _polite, sophisticated _rebuttal when Present Mic got everyone back on track.

"Okay, okay examinee 7111, settle down! Thanks for the...input. Ahem! The 4th enemy type offers _Zero_ points, and is not worth engaging! You won't be penalized, but you won't gain anything from it, so it's better to avoid it!"

"Thank you very much, please excuse my inturruption!", the serious individual said, sitting down as rigidly as he gotten up. Kacchan had stopped his glare, but Izuku still felt his anger coursing through his veins.

_I trust you Emily, but I don't think I WANT to be friendly with someone like that._

**_"Oh Izuku...Izuku Izuku Izuku...that man-child exhibits mannerisms that obviously indicate him from a background of wealth and authority! You are looking at a prime opportunity to infiltrate the higher graces of society."_**

_Infiltrate the...Emily I'm not doing this for the money or the...I'm getting power through magic, I thought?_

Emily's laughed echoed through his head.

**_"Izuku, the power of magic is only matched by the power of money, and very rarely does an individual have both. I simply wish the best for you."_**

Thinking on her words, Izuku put away his grimoire and sat quietly until orientation came to an end.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Izuku was stumped.

The written portion of the entrance exam was surprisingly doable. Not to say it was easy, as there were a multitude of questions offered to test his intelligence and judgement. Some were simple, such as providing information about a villain's whereabouts, and asking where and how he would approach. Some were surprisingly philosophical, covering concepts such as a preference to seeking out the most crime ridden cities to help the most possible amount of people as if they were numbers, or sticking to your hometown to ensure the quality of individual lives are maintained. Difficult, almost impossible questions of how romance may impact heroism and vice versa, reasoning for becoming a hero, and how justifiable it is to take a life if it means saving another, or even just to keep them out of potential risk. Izuku had already thought long and hard about every possible question related to heroism since he was a small child, yet somehow...

_I...I don't know what to think anymore._

He had changed. Ever since he came into possession of Emily's amulet and given into it, willingly feeding her his own blood, he had changed. No longer were the questions so easy to answer, no longer was he so damn _comfortable._ He was more decisive now in action, but that made him less so in mind. One question in particular ate at his very being, preventing him from finishing the written portion.

**"What are you willing to do in order to grow in quirk/martial/mental proficiency?"**

It was an easy question. One of the easiest questions for anyone else in the room. They would train themselves rigorously every day, hone their mind, and practice their quirks to the point of exhaustion. Typical action movie montage stuff. Theoretically, he could answer it in a mere 3 paragraphs. It was the easiest question...for someone that wasn't him. An easy question for a person who hadn't magically waterboarded and stripped a vital, human emotion from someone else. An easy question for someone who didn't drive a vampire's fang into their body every day when they couldn't buy animal blood. An easy question for someone who hadn't even told their own _mother_ about their magical abilities...or even began to plan the event. As much as it pained him to do so, he knew he couldn't answer this question on his own.

_Emily?_

**_"Do what your heart tells you, little pet."_**

Izuku sighed and bowed his head in defeat. He hated to admit it, ashamed even, but he now knew the answer. He was more like her than he thought. Izuku Midoriya opened his heart and wrote a single word.

**"Anything."**

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

After the written portion of the entrance exam, it was time for the practical. Izuku found himself infront of the gates of Battle Center B, a massive (well, it looked massive from where he was standing) city complete devoid of any life. It's perimeter was protected by a heavy bastion of towering walls, daring any would-be hero to break in, only to become lost in it's endless streets and sidewalks, forever removed from civilization and doomed to go mad in an artificial world of genuine emptiness.

Izuku shook his head.

**_"Your doubts are overpowering, little pet. Cease your fear and set your heart aflame! This is the beginning of your heroic story, a legacy that will be told and remembered for thousands of years! Stop being such a scared mouse!"_**

He didn't respond to her directly but she was right. Everything he had went through to reach this point was arguably the hardest part. Now all he had to do was scrap some robots and avoid a bigger one. There were a lot of contestants, but this was a huge area to cover. He was ready, damnit! A surge of foreign emotion invaded his mind, emotions of anticipation and battle lust. He took note of Emily's ability to influence his emotions.

_Do you really have to do that, or are you just showing off?_

**_"Oh come now, surely you are excited to prove yourself in battle! It is one of the core emotions of every young boy! One that you are rather lacking in, so I decided to help. You may thank me later."_**

Suddenly, the gates of the empty city sprung open, surprising everyone except Izuku, who couldn't wait any longer. His legs sprung into action before the others could recover, dashing towards his future before someone else could claim it.

"**GO!** What? Did you think there would be a countdown? There's no countdowns in real life, the race has already begun!", Present Mic announced to the rest of the star struck group, who desperately starting running themselves.

Izuku engorged himself in his primal emotions. The moving muscles in his legs, the smell of chemical spray in the fake city, the feeling of being in front of everyone else, as if no one would ever match him...it was _orgasmic._ He was finally doing something he could show off to others, and it felt so good. He met his robotic opponent soon, it's single tire and two arms equipped with (hopefully fake) miniguns daring him to strike, and _fucking strike he would_.

Izuku conjured the knife he picked up from Slice-N-Dice, a curved beauty of a weapon. It wasn't very big, but it was his only means of attack, of victory against the robots. He starting casting **Telekinesis**, lifting the blade into the air and spinning it at fast as he could without losing control. Just as he was about to launch the blade and tear his robotic adversary into paperclips, _he _appeared.

The rigid, stick-up-his-ass nose-in-your-business _bastard_ zoomed past him, aided by his engine-like legs which also _decapitated _his prey on the way past. Izuku fumed at having his glory, the first kill in the match, stolen from him. Emily tried her best not to laugh too harshly at him.

_Damn speedster quirk! Can't he find his own robots to smash instead of stealing from me?!?_ _At least Kacchan wouldn't resort to stealing another's target!_

"Fucking...", Izuku grumbled and looked for another robot to gain points from. This would be a long ten minutes.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

**_"Rest, child! Do not allow yourself to succumb to exhaustion!"_**, Emily's soft voice echoed through his mind. She did not force him to, but he fell to his knees anyways, rubbing the sweat from his eyes.

_How many points, Emily?_

**_"It doesn't matter. Do not stop just because you feel comfortable. You cannot EVER stop growing in power, Izuku. That is the path you have chosen for yourself."_**

He found himself agreeing, despite his inner outcry against her obsessive hunger for power. He literally did not have the energy to protest. Thankfully, his exhaustion wasn't pointless. In his wake was a trail of robot scraps and shattered glass. His use of **Telekinesis **to manipulate the knife couldn't pierce the metal opponents directly, but aiming for the "eyes" did allow him to severely damage them from the inside. His _point_ proved itself as the treads of a 3-Pointer robot came across a street corner and approached him menacingly.

**"You have destroyed my friends. I will destroy you. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXT-"**

The sound of a levitating, spinning knife whistled through the air and impaled itself into one of the robot's eyes, before spinning again inside the (relatively) soft and delicate inner wiring, disabling the robot. Izuku let go of his telekinetic hold of the the knife, leaving it there, and put his head back against a concrete wall.

"Don't say i-"

**_"Giving up, are we? None of my other apprentices have been so easily spent. Perhaps I was wrong about your potential, little one."_**

That was a lie, of course, but he didn't need to know that. He just needed some motivation. She didn't know if she was ready for a transfer...it had been so long. She felt his spirit hold and his muscles strain to get off the ground, but he was utterly spent. He wasn't unwilling, simply unable. Emily sighed.

"I'm not giving up...just give me a moment."

Then, all hell broke loose. A terrifyingly loud roar broke from down the city street, and the sound of something **huge** crashing to the ground. Izuku struggled to keep his eyes open, but he could not see what it was past a massive cloud of dust.

_Emily?_

**_"I...I don't know. Whatever it is, it's unliving._****_"_**

Suddenly, the dust cleared, and _it_ emerged. A towering metal goliath, easily fifty times larger than any other robot he's fought so far. It's six hellish red, bloodthirsy yet unfeeling eyes crushed those under it's view with pure presence. Easily towering over every building in the city, the **0P** Robot made it's appearance, a mere 300 feet away from Izuku Midoriya.

"You know Emily...I don't feel so tired anymore. Shall we?"

**_"Let's."_**

Izuku Midoriya, fated to be the world's single most powerful individual, stood on his feet and stared defiantly at the gargantuan monster above. It is said that every hero has a definining moment, and this would be his.

"Alright, let's do this!", pragmatically announced the warlock, as he ran in the opposite direction of the **0P** Robot. He still had two minutes left, so maybe he'll be able to get a few more points before the time limit came. It was a solid plan, until he heard the a desperate call for help.

**_"Don't-"_**, before Emily could even finish, Izuku turned around and pinpointed the source of the sound, the downfall of many a powerful man, _a woman._ She could sense her presence but couldn't see her, lkely buried under rubble and a thick layer of dust...and her _pet_ was running _towards her!_

**_"IZUKU! You do not have the magical strength to remove the debris! Simply projecting that knife was enough to exhaust you!"_**

"I DON'T CARE! I NEED TO TRY!", he replied angrily, forgetting about their telepathic link.

**_"That construct will KILL you! The dead cannot be brought back! Not in the way you think!"_**

"THAT'S **EXACTLY **WHY I NEED TO SAVE HER!"

**_"You stupid, STUPID BOY! You will not receive any points for your actions! Your place in Yoo-Ay is not solidified! You could lose!"_**

"**IT'S NOT ABOUT POWER, EMILY!**", he screamed, stopping just before his destination. "If...If I can't use my powers to save somebody...then I DON'T WANT THEM! I'LL THROW IT ALL AWAY!", he bellowed with determination.

Emily's heart froze. Even though the pet was under a massive chemical imbalance, she could tell his words her genuine. Not only that, but what the words themselves _meant. _He may not have intended it, but there was a deadly threat beneath them. "Throwing it all away" didn't just mean magic. It meant...

_You would throw me away, Izuku?_

She was horrified by how much that statement shook her. In such a short time she had grown so _attached_. Not just to Izuku, but to the world he lived in. If he refused magic, he would be without reason to sustain her. To feed her his delicious blood, to speak to her, to make her feel like she has _some_ kind of purpose in this world. She may not exist in the traditional sense, but she existed through Izuku. Back in that amulet, blood starved and alone...it would drive her mad. She couldn't go back. Of these last 500 years, the most recent one was the best of them, because it was the only year where _anything even happened._ Emily gave in.

**_"I...I'm going to help you, Izuku. However, I expect to be repaid beyond full."_**

"R-Really? Thank you!"

**_"Quiet! I need to recall...ah, okay. Repeat these words, I will transfer some of my power to you. Pray this doesn't kill either of us, if you are a praying man._****.."**

_"_Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Izuku, E'jikllmai wgah'nagl fhtagn_!"_, the creature began, it's green eyes turning a pure black and it's curly green hair losing it's form, shifting free from the binds of gravity. The breath of every living creature in the concrete city hitched, as they stared in terror at the otherworldly creature with the human skin. It lifted it's arms and tremors of power reverberated through the air.

_"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh E'jikllmai Ii'lIi'lgy'noth n'gha-ghaa naf'lthagn!"_

The creature levitated in the air and lifted it's arms, holding yet holding it's palms towards the ground like a cruel puppeteer. The world itself was bent to it's will, as the debris that had pinned down the girl was now slowly lifted off of her and into the air, alongside the levitating creature, who was now coughing up blackish-red ooze, but that didn't stop it's horrid chanting.

_"Lä vastur cf'ayak'vulgtmm, vugtlagln vulgtmm! Uh'enah ah'hri! UH'ENAH AH'HRI! **UH'ENAH AH'HRI!**", _the creature finished.

As the height of it's screaming, the creature used it's telekinesis to merge the collected debris into one giant sharpened spike of concrete, and launched the massive javelin into the cold visage of the **0P** Robot, completely annihilating one of it's eyes and toppling the massive beast.

The creature felt it's temporary strength begin to fade. In one last use of it's power, it safety descended from it's height and drew the girl away from the massive cloud of dust and destruction left in it's wake. It viewed the girl. Her lack of clothing allowed him to see a thin, short frame and mid-length brown hair with an honesty _really_ attractive face. Her eyes...

_She...doesn't have an eye color? _

The creat- IZUKU gasped and suddenly dropped the girl on the concrete, who yelped from the action and barely caught herself. Izuku coughed up the rest of the black ooze that came within, his bystanders keeping a fair distance between them and...whatever the hell he transformed into.

"What the _hell_ was that?"

"Felt like the world was gonna end..."

"What language was that? I can't remember anything..."

"What the fuck?"

Izuku finished coughing and looked around him, trying to find the naked girl he saved. Much to his dissatisfaction, there was no one. "W-Where'd she go?"

"I'm right here!", came an indignant voice from in front of him. He didn't see anything though, it was just air. He reached his hand out and it settled on something soft and squishy...felt kinda nice actually. The girl's breath hitched and became silent for 2 seconds before Izuku pieced it together.

_She's invisible!_

Unfortunately, that was 2 seconds too late. A hard impact with plenty of force behind it smashed his cheek and knocked him over. Already exhausted, he found the sweet allure of sleep call to him, made all the more enticing by the numbness in his face. His last thoughts were of Emily, who hadn't spoken since the power-sharing ritual.

_Emily...thank you._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

It had been one week since the Yuuei entrance exam. After Izuku awoke from his unconsciousness, he found himself face to face with a old, short lady kissing him on the cheek. He nearly screamed until the realization of her identity hit him. He'd _never_ thought he'd see Recovery Girl in person! Unfortunately, the naked invisible girl he rescued was nowhere to be found after...his accident. Worst of all though...

_Emily...are you there?_

She hadn't responded to any of his calls. After the fifth day, he took matters into his own hands and tried to conjure her spirit through a binding sigil, where she was strongest, but even that didn't work. It's as if the power sharing ritual _killed_ her. During that week he continued to practice _Telekinesis_, but it just wasn't the same without her barking orders at him. The only assurance he had of her existence was the amulet, which drank his blood, but without any vigor. It was like an automatic function, as opposed to a joyful feast.

_At least I know she's still __there._

Then, his mom burst through his room door. "Iz-Izu-kun! It's...IT'S HERE!"

She desperately waved the letter in her hand, stamped with the red brand of Yuuei High. Izuku thanked her and took the letter, as she left him with some privacy. He was reluctant to open it.

_Emily...I really would have liked it if you were here to watch me get accepted._

Steeling his nerves, Izuku gently unfolded the envelope, which contained a smaller envelope and small disc with a light on it. How odd. He inspected the disc and pressed a small lever, which, in hindsight, wasn't a good idea. The light on the disc turned on in his face and blinded him, startling him enough to drop it on his desk, where a projection was played.

**"I AM HERE! AS A PROJECTION!"**, came the booming voice of All Might from the disc. Izuku gasped and glued his eyes to the message.

**"Izuku Midoriya! Your low scores on the written portion were troubling at first! Only your sheer intelligence saved you from failire. Furthermore, there were some...technical malfunctions during your practice exam, particularly towards the end. We saw your telekinetic abilities quite well, but...****"**

All Might pressed a remote and gestured to a screen behind him. It showed his progress during the test, slicing robots to ribbons with his flying knife style. However, when he ran for the invisible girl and stopped to speak with Emily...

**"Indeed! Corrupted video and audio! We have interviewed several students to try and find out what happened, and I think you will be particularly interested in this clip!"**

Another video played, titled "Interview with Tooru Hagakure regarding incident at Battle Center B". The camera was fixed on the face, or rather, a _lack of face_ on a floating pair of clothing. Izuku recognized her voice immediately. Tooru Hagakure was the invisible girl he saw and saved.

"So, he _rescued_ you and destroyed the **0P** robot? Please explain in detail."

"Yeah, totally! First I saw him running towards me while also screaming to himself about something, he looked kinda insane at first! But then he stopped and started...I don't know what he said then, my memory is kinda fuzzy..but then he was lifting himself in the air and lifted the rubble off of me with his ghost mind powers! He crushed all the rubble together into a spike and flew it into the robot's face!"

"And that was what destroyed the **0P** robot? What happened after?"

"Yeah, it was 100 percent destroyed from that! Then he looked at me all spooky-like, as if he could _see through my invisibility_, and used his mind powers to fly us away from the dust. Then his powers kinda went away and he started [REDACTED]."

The [REDACTED] audio was removed from the tape, simply muted as Hagakure's body language continued on. Izuku wondered why Yuuei would censor that information, but then the sound returned.

"That's...interesting. Anything after?"

"Mmm-Hhm! He uh...I think he forgot how to see through my invisibility. He asked where I was, even though I was right in front of him. I told him where I was and...well I don't think he _meant to_ or anything, but he [REDACTED]."

Then, the interview ended. All Might looked back at him, a hint of suspicion in his trademark smile.

**"Rather secretive, isn't it? Aside from the restricted information, several eyewitnesses have statements that align with your heroic deeds, so we at Yuuei have decided to believe them! Assuming all said is true, in conjunction with your normal footage, that puts your points at 50 for the rescue and 26 for defeating villains!** **A grand total of 76 points in total!"**

Izuku smiled so wide his face hurt. He was in. _He made it into Yuuei!_

**_"However."_**

Izuku heart lept into his throat and stopped beating. However? _However? _HOWEVER WHAT?!? He made it, didn't he?

**"Due to the suspicious nature of the incident, the principal of Yuuei has requested an audience, where he will personally evaluate you. To reject the audience is to reject Yuuei, so please make sure to show up! The details of the time and place are in the note. It is our hope that you can join Yuuei High, Izuku Midoriya."**

Then, it was over.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Izuku traversed the dreamscape, once again searching for her. Exploring his own mind without help from Emily was difficult, but he managed to get in by himself. He looked around the void, almost having given up for the night, until he noticed an unnatural cold. He was suddenly naked.

"I haven't heard from you in a week and _this_ is how you say hello?", he said, imagining the clothes back onto his dreaming form.

**_"I just wanted to see you as you are. Take it off, dear pet."_**

She sounded extremely weak, and he couldn't even see her. It seemed that she didn't even have the ability to manifest herself anymore. Izuku removed his clothing to indulge her, having already become comfortable around her.

"Are you okay?", he tenderly asked.

**_"I will recover. I should have known I wasn't strong enough to handle such a dangerous ritual. I am pleased that it bore fruit but...Izuku...the power sharing ritual...it almost ENDED MY EXISTENCE. That will NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. Are we understood?"_**

Izuku was silent for several moments, before letting a tear fall from his face.

"I...I owe you _everything_, Emily..."

How ironic, she thought, that it was he who thought he owed her. She imagined being awake in that amulet, forever blood-starved. It was SHE that owed HIM. So much time had passed while she was away that it was more comfortable to strip him than it was to observe his modern attire. It was easier to call him _pet_ than it was to acknowledge her own chain. It was preferred that he read her stories of murder and destruction than it was to recall the actual acts, all those years ago...

**_"I'm well aware. Simply ensure you stay productive until I regain my strength. The best students are self-sufficient and...and..."_**

Emily fell back into her healing slumber. Izuku detached from his conciousness and did the same. He would need all the rest he could get to make his plans for the future into reality.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

**Author's Notes: **The Yuuei entrance exam is over, with some interesting events transpiring. Magic is not the same as a quirk, and Izuku will have to truly come to grips with this in the next chapter.

REviewsss!

Toffeecat15: First he's gotta LEARN the spell, not to mention get into Yuuei. I'll draw inspiration from multiple sources to "keep the magic alive", so to speak.

1Batman4u: Emily does not gain any particular benefits/changes to quirked blood, with the exception of blood-related quirks, but that's a future issue.

See you next chapter! **-Delusional777 **


	8. A Magical Interview

He was so close. He was so _fucking close._ After his successful entrance exam, Izuku felt like he was ready to finally grasp the tail-end of his dreams. Yuuei was right around the corner, he was practically already there, if not for a slight catch though, he had to go in for an interview. The scene he caused had apparently sparked serious discussion, and now he had to meet personally with the headmaster of Yuuei, Principal Nezu.

Izuku held Emily's fang close to him. He had considered not bringing it to the interview as it would inevitably spark a question about the amulet, one that he wouldn't be sure how to answer, but it felt too wrong not to bring it. The note he received that detailed the interview suggested that he "dress as he pleased", citing a lack of any formal dress requirements so long as they were valid under the law. The casual nature of the letter only made him more nervous, not to mention it's writer, Principal Nezu.

_Nezu...stories of animals gaining a quirk aren't too uncommon, but an intelligence quirk, one powerful enough to make him essentially a human...I don't know if anyone like him exists. To end up leading a school like Yuuei speaks for itself._

**_"Danger..."_**, Emily weakly whispered to him, somehow still alive and conscious after the disastrous power-sharing ritual she put herself through for him. Izuku was initially confused by the vague warning. Danger? Where? He didn't see any-

He turned his head just in time to see Katsuki Bakugou lunge at him from the shadows, boasting a surprisingly decent ambush and lacking his usual initiating battlecry. Izuku nearly used his magic, but restrained himself at the last second and allowed the angry blonde to pin him against a building wall. He could already feel the bruise forming.

_Not yet. He can't know yet. When I reveal my power to him...it needs to be perfect._

"HOW?!?!", he screamed, his voice wrought with wounded pride and indignation. "HOW DID YOU GET IN?!? _What...What did you do?"_

Bakugou slammed the wall besides his head, adding an explosion for intimidation as well as incidental ear damage. Izuku clenched his teeth and defiantly glared, putting on a scowl to imitate him.

_He wants to know how I, a quirkless little kid that he's been picking on since we were 4, got into Yuuei just one point behind him. __Even if I WAS okay with telling him the truth, he wouldn't believe me._

"ANSWER ME! How did some _quirkless trash_ get into Yuuei? TELL ME WHAT YOU DID!"

Shit. He was going to be late to Nezu's appointment if this kept up. He couldn't just run away, Bakugou would catch up in an instant, and he also couldn't fight him, since he wanted their first real fight to be perfect. All he had was his tongue.

"Don't you want to find out at Yuuei?", he suggested enticingly, faking an exaggerated confidence. "We're both getting into the hero course...we might even be in the same class, right? Hero courses everywhere have competitions and mock battles so...you could have a chance to beat me in front of the heroes...if you really want to know how I did it, you're just going to have to _wait_,_ Kah-chan_."

The butchering of his personal moniker bothered him more than he was comfortable with, but was far oversaturated by his own excitement. This little quirkless runt was now saying they'd eventually face off in a no-holds-barred beatdown once he got into Yuuei? The thought of destroying him in a _real quirked fight_ was too good to pass up. With a reignited flame in his heart and _something_ to look foward to, Bakugou shoved him away.

"Don't fuck up enough to get kicked out before it happens! And take those damn contacts off! Purple looks like shit on you!", he finished, stomping away.

Izuku waited until the threat was gone and dusted himself off, thoroughly confused. Contacts? Purple? What was he even talking about? He took his phone and opened the camera app, only to shout in surprise and drop it. Izuku used his _telekinesis _just in time to prevent certain death. Reluctantly, he opened the camera app and viewed himself again, staring in disbelief. The hauntingly elegant laugh of Emily echoed through his mind. He must be hallucinating. Is that what he looked like? What was going on?

"Emily! What the f-, HELL? Why are my eyes purple?!?"

**_"Hahahaha...it had been so long since I made a binding pact...when a master and her servant make a pact, the servant is...branded. Often the brand for vampire servants is a pallor of the flesh...or a symbol etched in their bones...but you are oh so lucky..."_**

Izuku looked at his reflection in his phone's screen. Staring back was a plain looking boy, with the exception of a pair of dark violet eyes staring back. They looked cold, yet insaitable and intense, as if they considered him a target for whatever they pleased, without any regard for his own rights. These were the eyes of a predator.

**_"Eyes, so that you may better see through the veil. The power-sharing ritual...it has sped up the process...it should have taken years...I wonder how else you shall change...? To show the world how YOU BELONG TO ME."_**

Feeling thoroughly repulsed and violated enough for one day, Izuku continued his trek to Yuuei for his interview. A child passed him by, feeling naturally wary of the dark spellcaster's presence, as well as the threatening aura that seemed to follow him. The child nearly broke into tears apon eye contact.

* * *

The prize was in sight. A towering structure fortified by a wall (likely to keep out the press rather than any particular threat) and built like a glass castle, it's reflective windows doing a great job to prevent him seeing inside. He was now in front of the massive Yuuei High. Izuku never thought his first visit would be like this. He couldn't help but feel sadness for how deserted it seemed. Only one person was just outside the entrance, who was looking directly at him. The man walked out and approached him in a friendly, if somewhat awkward manner.

"Hello! You must be Izuku Midoriya", he greeted.

"Um, yes. I received this letter for an audience with principal Nezu."

"I recognize you", spoke the man rather ominously, "please follow me."

The man opened the doors and led Izuku through the maze of hallways of stairwells. It was strange, to be inside the building of your dreams only to find familiar silence. The man made some light conversation as they walked.

"You know...the incident regarding your entrance exam alarmed us. We truly didn't know what to make of the event, and even now when I look at you, I can't help but think of an anomly...", the man lowered his gaunt face to peer into Izuku's eyes, only to recoil away, seemingly alarmed. Neither commented on the social miss-step.

**_"That thing...feigns...weakness..."_**, Emily whispered to him. Izuku suddenly felt like he was in danger, examining him further. He certainly looked weak, with his sickly thin face, strange blonde hair and oversized clothes. The only strong feature about him were his eyes, which seemed to pierce through his defenses with their blue hue. Maybe he had a quirk that didn't rely on his physical strength? Whatever the case was, Izuku sensed absolutely no fear whatsoever from him.

"But honestly, I don't think this is neccessary. Any young man who would use their tremendous power to save a fellow contestant is fine enough with me! To reject an individual like that...hah, what kind of lip service would that be? Ah, it seems we're here."

The two stopped infront of a simple, yet well-crafted wooden door. Unlike the others, this door swung on a hinge. The man opened the door for him, revealing a well furnished yet modest office, complete with couches around a small table.

"I'll stay out here, if you don't mind. Just a simple precaution. Good luck in there, young man!", the symbol of admittedly cheap situational irony winked at him and closed the door as he passed.

**_"Tread...lightly..."_**

"Ah, Izuku Midoriya. You have made it, exactly on time. Please, have a seat! Would you like some tea?"

On the other side of the room was the principal himself. A large, child-sized mammal that looked like a mix between a dog, a rat, and a bear. Covered in white fur, formal clothing, and adorned with a vicious scar over his right eye, with no attempts made to hide it. Whatever he was, it was clear he was no stranger to pain, nor was he shamed by it. He offered an amicable smile.

"No? That's quite alright. Some people prefer to stand while speaking, or even move around. I must confess to being the same way. It helps me think. Let's move on to the _bones_ of the matter! What is your opinion about the supernatural, Midoriya?"

A strange feeling grew within him. That was too strange a question to be a horrible coincidence. Was he already being suspected? Would he be rejected from Yuuei because of...no.

_Keep it together._

"I think it's a cool subject to think about, that there are things people once believed in, or still think about...that maybe we still don't know everything about our world."

"As do I! I have something of an interest in the subject myself. I am particularly interested in your necklace. It is an _exact _replica of _The cursed amulet of Emilia_."

Izuku felt his throat dry. He could play dumb and pretend he didn't know what Nezu was talking about, but that could get him kicked out, especially considering it seems that his adversary had already done his research. So that just left one option...

"I...I was hoping nobody recognized it! This is so embarrassing...", he faked a tone completely lacking in confidence and faked a laugh for good measure. Nezu was unreadable, he kept his body language friendly and his face was too foreign to that of a human's to draw details from. He could only hope Nezu thought him a nerd, not an actual occultist.

"Haha! You almost had me fooled, Midoriya. Here I was thinking you were actually using _witchcraft_ in an attempt to gain entry into Yuuei! Such a story would cause great change in the world, wouldn't it? It is good that _there's no such thing as magic. _Do you recall any revolutionary history, Midoriya? There are many examples, agriculture, gunpowder, compound interest, nuclear weaponry...**quirks.** Each technological, or in our case, biological advancement has resulted in overwhelming change. Let's speak hypothetically..."

Nezu took a sip of tea and calmly sat down in front of the boy, continuing.

"Assuming the sudden existence, or rather, _re-introducement_ of magic into our society, it would be used to the interest of whoever held it. Heroes would have methods other than their quirks to protect society. Nations would use it to bolster their productivity and improve the quality of life. However, there are those among us who would use it for their own ends, even at the costs of others. Villains, for example."

Nezu set down his tea and looked directly into Izuku. If the warlock's eyes could be compared to that of a predatory beast, than Nezu's could be to that of a calculating hunter. Malicious, smooth purple clashed against cunning, beady black.

"What would be a relatively small toll of infrastructure and lives taken could turn into a major disaster, should a villain learn the correct spells. If history has proved anything, it is that mankind will always use the weapons they have created. Quirks may not be the intentional result of mankind's hubris, but they have and will continue to be used exactly like weapons. As you may recall from your history classes in Aldera Junior High, the quirk revolution was not handled well by humanity. It took a very long time for us to move on past our bloody conflicts. I believe magic, should it exist and become discovered, will cause exactly the same disaster."

Izuku started to piece it together. Whether Nezu was familiar with magic or not was irrelevant. _He knew._ A vicious and silent understanding formed between the pair. Magic could NOT be exposed to mankind, no matter the cost. It wasn't an outright rejection though. Many quirks were essentially magic, so all he had to do...

"It's...funny, Mr.Nezu. My quirk...which actually came to me very late compared to everyone else...it can almost be _confused with actual magic._ It is a good thing that my quirk is actually just a _specialized and situational form of wish fulfillment_, and not magic."

Nezu wanted to sigh in relief, perhaps even clap for the boy! Alas, to do so would be irrational, because it's not like magic actually exists and requires discretion. Indeed, it was better that way. He merely continued his smile and nodded approvingly.

"I'm glad you understand, Midoriya. I so do enjoy engaging in _purely theoretical conversation_ with future students. It provides a certain amount of...insight. Tea?"

Hearing the term _future students_ brightened his mood considerably. Izuku took the tea, which he very much needed for his parched throat. The taste reminded him of snow, and that wasn't a bad thing.

"So long as we both understand clearly the contents of this conversation, I believe there is nothing barring me from accepting you into Yuuei! What do you think of that, Midoriya?"

"I would love that!", he said a little too quickly. Nezu did not mind. He sensed a troubled, but ultimately good soul in the boy. He wasn't _truly _certain if the legends around that amulet were true, or if there really was an ancient vampire spirit whispering to the boy, but he knew that he couldn't turn someone away just for their powers, especially if their actions and intentions were pure. He did make it through the entrance exam after all. Still...

"I believe this interview has gone well, Midoriya. That being said, as principal of Yuuei, it is my utmost highest duty to _protect my students and my staff__ from_ _any_ _threat_, _regardless of origin_. So long as we have both keep those points in consideration, we shall not have any hurdles in our relationship."

Izuku could have sworn he was being threatened. The hairs on the back of his neck rose and chills passed through his body. Nezu maintained his diplomatic composure and finished their audience.

"Welcome to your hero academia, Izuku Midoriya."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Huh. This is actually a really short chapter. Literally just two scenes. Important ones though, and they would not have fit well (pacing-wise) into the next chapter. Emily's relationship with Izuku is starting to become harder to hide. It also appears Principal Nezu is a savant for anything that captures his curiosity, and Izuku's display did exactly that. I thought about the consequences of using magic and realized if he just used it in broad daylight, other people would want to get in on it. Therefore, the interview, and the rule. The rule that Izuku cannot expose his powers as ACTUAL magic, that could be learned and used by others. It's just an unexplained, yet useful quirk.


	9. Key Differences

"Izuku...Izuku!"

His mother obsessively inspected his yuuei school uniform for any and all irregularities and grievances, her frantic eyes ignoring the unusual knot in which Izuku Midoriya kept his tie. She loved her boy, she loved him so very much, and she needed to show it. Ever since that horrible day where they had found his quirk absent, so too was her faith in him. It was a mistake she would never repeat, no matter what. He had her full support from now on...even if the actual means of how he got into Yuuei eluded her. He suddenly had a wish-granting ability that only worked situationally? What does that even _mean?_

_It doesn't matter_, she decided. _He can do anything, and I will help him!_

She gazed into his green eyes, happy to be reminded of who he most took after.

"S-Sorry Izuku...I'm j-just so proud!"

She was return with his love and a smile, before watching her son leave, destined for greater things. It was bittersweet, to have a day off work on the day her son started his. She was faced with a realization that she would be alone until he came back. The home was clean and she only had herself to feed. She was truly devoid of all responsibility for the next several hours, and she did not know how to react.

"I...maybe Mitsuki is off too. I...I gotta do _something_ today...", she wondered aloud.

* * *

Izuku growled and recklessly plunged his fingers into his delicate eyeballs, trying to dig his nail under the thin plate of colored silicone. Every time he put the green contacts on, it felt like the video resolution dropped from high definition to 780 pixels. Was it the worst thing in the world? No, but it sure was irritating, after longer than three minutes. He managed to get a hold of them and _vaporized _them, sending them into a realm seperate from existence. Immediately, the clarity of color depth of his surroundings became apparent.

"I...I can't _live_ like this. Emily, isn't there some kind of spell to change my eyes back?"

The haughty, yet exhausted voice of his vampire master echoed in his mind, but he was used to it by now.

**_"Yes, but to keep even a minor disguise spell like that from suddenly failing would exhaust you. You would not be able to maintain it for hours at a time. You could always just...memory wipe her. Have her believe you've always had..."_**

Emily yawned obnoxiously, adding to Izuku's irritation.

"I will _never_ memory wipe anyone! Especially my own _mom._...I also can't cast a spell like that yet, too advanced. I can deal with exhaustion. Which page? What's the spell called?", he asked, _unvaporizing_ his grimoire of spells and rituals.

**_"Chapter 89, Section 52, page 4..."_**Izuku almost fell for it.

"Emily...section numbers only go up to 50. There _is no_ section 52 anywhere", Izuku stated matter-of-factly.

**_"You...you actually read through an ENTIRE chapter in the grimoire?"_**, Emily asked, the incredulity in her tone breaking through her exhausted demeanor. Izuku replied with some uncertainty.

"W-Well, yes! I figured the more of the grimoire I read, the better an understanding I would have of magic and how to learn spells quicker and..."

**_"Izuku, do you ever intend on having sex?"_** The fowardness and subject matter completely threw him off. "W-What does _that_ question matter?!?"

**_"I know I told you to learn at your own pace, but dear God boy! The significance of our relationship is so that you may learn magic and do WHATEVER it is you desire! Do you truly wish to spend your youth in the confines of that book? You would be better suited to become a studious wizard rather than a warlock..."_**

"I actually kind of _like_ learning about this magic stuff though..."

Emily and Izuku argued back and forth all the way to Yuuei, using their telepathic link when others were around as to avoid making him look crazy. It seemed that to Emily, power wasn't just the ability to overcome others, but to do whatever it is one wants, whenever and to whoever they want. Izuku, on the other hand, sees using magic purely as a tool for heroism, and shouldn't be exploited for anything else. Truly, master and student could not be more different.

**_"...and therefore, your modern society has done you a disservice! Tell me, Izuku. Am I attractive to you?"_**

_Well...yes.__ You already know that!_

**_"But would you FUCK me?"_**

Izuku gasped and pulled his head down, much to the confusion of the people around him on the train. He held his face to prevent his blush from being too visable.

_W-What kind of question is...?_

**_"EXACTLY. Your lack of a strong masculine figure in your life has led you to become cowardly and shrewd! The answer should have been without hesitation, a yes, or a no."_**

Mention of his father stripped him of his prior embarrassment and turned his thoughts to anger. Emily was being infuriating, more than usual, on a day in which he should be happy about. The train he was just in was filled with people and it was fucking hot outside. He felt miserable, and from that misery came outburst.

_Emily I actually don't **care** about what you think! My dad being in my life or not has nothing to do with my decisions, and I never asked your damn opinion about any if it! I don't care if people from your era had three kids by sixteen, I am not **inferior **or **flawed** for not following your **stupid, primitive way of thinking!**_

That was when Izuku ran into her. A shriek, a stumble, and a pair of falls later, two bodies were on the ground. The greener of the two burst into apology, as if it weren't for a _certain someone_, he would have been watching where he was going. The other simply sighed.

"I-I really _am_ sorry, I was distracted and I didn't _see _you there...", Izuku uttered a short gasp when he saw the face of the girl he ran into.

"I-Is that supposed to be some kind of _joke?_ Thats so r-GASP! I KNOW YOU! YOU'RE THE GUY THAT SAVED ME FROM THE ROBOT AND THEN _GROPED _ME AFTERWARDS!", replied the newly introduced Toru Hagakure...rather_ loudly._

Izuku felt the hairs on the back of his neck tingle, and looked around to realize literally _everybody_ had heard what she said. There was whispering, ugly stares, and even a few glares from people who probably wanted to hurt him now.

**_"Look at those pathetic human wastes, Izuku. They hear news of your alleged assault apon her, and they do NOTHING. They merely stare, converse the issue with their useless friends, and then...nothing. They go home, feeling as if they accomplished anything. Izuku...there is a reason I wish you to become proactive in your life...there is nothing I despise worse than a USELESS BYSTANDER."_**

"U-Um...green dude...you okay there? I didn't really mean that, I know it was an accident! I thought it was really cool how you powered up and used your spooky mind powers to defend me! _Or maybe you just wanted to show off..._", she trailed off.

"Sorry! I was...distracted by something", he admitted before continuing. "I wasn't trying to show off or anything, my quirk is just inconsistent sometimes!"

_Oh fuck, that feels weird to say. "My quirk."_

"I did it because I heard you...you were in trouble so I..."

"_Awwwwwww_ that's such a _hero_ thing to say! I knew they'd let you into Yuuei!"

Izuku then took note of her appearance. The same loose brown hair, pale skin, adorable face with slightly puffy cheeks, and her uniform, which was the same as his!

"You made it into Yuuei too!", he replied with a little more astonishment than neccessary.

"Well, yeah!", she replied with some annoyance. "Why _wouldn't _I?"

Izuku ran his fingers nervously through his curly hair. "Well...it's just that your quirk lets you _turn invisible_, right? Did you have a weapon or something? Unless you spent the entire match gaining rescue points, I'm not sure how you'd be able to destroy the robots."

Hagakure pouted and dramatically crossed her arms. "Hmpf! I'll have you know, _Mr.Smartypants,_ that the robots have a button on their back that disables them when you press it! But since that requires getting close and also behind them, it'd be hard for that annoying speed guy to press it, it needs a...gentle touch."

Hagakure emphasized her point by sticking out her finger and gently poking the tip of Izuku's nose.

_"Boop!"_

Just then, an soft, evil laugh came from within.

_Emily?_

**_"She doesn't know..."_**

_Doesn't know what?_

**_"You haven't realized either? Hilarious! You will both find out, dear pet."_**

_What? No! No surprises, just tell me!_

Izuku was only met with silence, and Hagakure awkwardly waiting for some kind of response. Luckily for both of them, it was that very same silence that broke them from their conversational stall. Unluckily, the source of that silence was from their position, in front of the doors of Yuuei...with nobody else around.

"I'M GONNA BE LATE!", they both yelled at once.

Without any moment to spare, both the students rushed towards their futures, making further conversation as they ran down the halls. Her name was Toru Hagakure, and his was Izuku Midoryia. It was fun, yet Toru couldn't shake the phrase the strange boy used.

_What does he mean, **turn invisible**?_

* * *

"WE ARE HERE!", the dynamic duo announced as they entered theough the massive door of class 1-A, which just happened to coincidentally be both of their classes. The students inside reacted in a variety of ways, from a shared cheer from a girl with horns and pink skin, to an indifferent glance from a boy with heterochromic eyes. However, their enthusiasm was _not_ shared by the residing homeless man in the class.

**_"Ah, I know that look. It is a facial expression I myself have worn on several occasions...mainly when one of my incompetent students requires DISCIPLINE"_**, Emily informed with glee.

_Wait, you mean that's our..._

"I am Shota Aizawa...your _sensei_ and homeroom teacher of class 1-A", said the homeless man clad in black, with one of the most monotone voices to ever grace the planet.

"...and you two, were_ only twenty seconds from being expelled on your first day of Yuuei._"

Izuku, Hagakure, and the entire class turned deathly silent at the horrific realization. Emily started to howl with laughter inside Izuku's mind. The idea that, after all they had been through, all their progress, everything Izuku had done to reach this moment...

**_"It could have been undone in 20 seconds on the mere whim of this one man. Holy Heaven, I love him already."_**

Aizawa glared at the two before opening a bag on the table, revealing several gym uniforms.

"Everyone, put these on and report to the field. You'll know it when you see it."

Aizawa turned to the two embarrassed underperformers once again. "If either of you two are the last ones to the field, you will _be expelled._"

* * *

Hagakure and Izuku were the first ones there, an impressive feat considering the competition. The rude and uptight speedster was third, while as for the fourth...

Izuku could feel Bakugou's breath down his neck. He figured they would see each other at Yuuei, but he didn't think they'd be _in the same goddamn class._ This was just how it had to be, it seemed. Hagakure glanced several times at Izuku's cool bone necklace, before making the near-fatal mistake of trying to touch it.

"Is that _real_ _bone__?_ Gross!"

Izuku felt his adrenaline surge as he clutched the fang with one hand and turned his body away from her. The surrounding area was suddenly met with a chill wind before Izuku calmed down. Everything returned to the way it was, the paranormal anomaly only lasting a few seconds. Hagakure covered her mouth, feeling as though she committed an unforgivable offense.

"I-I...I didn't m-mean to..."

"I-it's okay! I just...I..."

_Why DID I do that? She wasn't even trying to take it..._

Izuku felt a slight sting around his palm from clutching the fang too tightly. The blood would drip if it wasn't disposed of, but he couldn't wipe it on his uniform! Izuku gently held onto the fang, but the blood remained.

**_"I am not ALWAYS hungry, Izuku. You cannot just use my fang to clean up spills..."_**

_Emily. PLEASE._

**_"_****_Only if you promise to let me feed on our new lady friend."_**

Izuku glanced at Hagakure.

_No **fucking** way, Emily._

Steeling his resolve, Izuku faked a yawn and licked his own blood from his hand, as well as the fang. The bitter, coppery taste reminded him just how depraved a vampire really is if they enjoyed drinking this stuff. Just in time, Aizawa and the rest of the class showed to the field.

"You will all undergo a quirk assessment test."

The phrase lingered on the lips of the students, some silent but most letting their irritating sounds flow freely. A girl with rosy cheeks with brown hair, darker than Hagakure's, spoke up reluctantly.

"But what about the Yuuei entrance ceremony? Orientation?"

Many students had similar thoughts, nodding along with her. Aizawa responded bluntly. "If you intend on being a hero, you won't have time for such unproductive events." The class seemed to gasp at this, Izuku included.

_Does he really plan to micromanage our every second here? He's even stricter than you, Emily!_

**_"Hmpf."_**

"One of Yuuei's selling point's is the freedom it grants to it's staff and teachers as well as how unrestrictive its traditions are. I am allowed to manage my class _however I see fit_...", Aizawa gestured to the field and it's various painted lines for different exercises, "You are all familiar with these from junior high, right? Physical fitness tests, where you're _not_ allowed to use your quirks. Japan still uses these outdated methods to determine average fitness. I believe this...impractical."

Aizawa directs his gaze to Bakugou, who stared back. "You finished at the top of the practical exam. Your softball throw. Maximum?"

"Hmpf. 67 meters."

**_"Impressive for a child."_**

_Not really._

**_"Jealousy doesn't suit you, Izuku"_**, Emily cooed.

_You don't even know how long a meter is, do you?_, he snapped back.

Aizawa instructed him to throw a softball as hard as he could, but this time, he could use his quirk. The eyes of his peers apon him, Bakugou decided this was as great a time as any to make a killer first impression. With a ferocious **_DIE!_**, Bakugou unleashed an explosion from his palm just as he released the ball, sending it spiraling into the sky.

"Knowing your own maximum is the most rational way to build the foundation of your hero career", Aizawa said, showing the class a device which read the distance the ball was thrown, an astonishing 705 meters! The class was impressed, even giddy with excitement at the prospect of being able to use their quirks. The pink haired girl with the horns even said it looks fun! Izuku couldn't help but agree.

_"Looks like fun, huh?"_, Aizawa repeated with a voice too soft to be anything other than malicious. The veteran hero decided there was nothing wrong with having fun. Why, this was only training for one of the most dangerous and traumatizing professions in the world, why shouldn't his students have some _fun?_ Emily sensed his intentions before he even opened his mouth, and through her, Izuku felt a chill before the stress returned. He could already hear her insidious laughter.

"_Fun._ Okay. Why not? Whoever comes last in all 8 tests will be judged as having _no_ potential, and will be punished with expulsion."

The students held their breath, hoping for a joke that would never come, or praying for some miracle. Only one thought circulated through them, keeping hope alive.

_I don't need to be first, I just have to avoid being last._

"Welcome to Yuuei High, students!"

After a brief but ultimately fruitless protest from some of the students, the tests began, starting with the 50 meter dash. Izuku then began to realize a serious problem. _Fear, Vaporization, Conjuration, Shadow Bolt, Water Breath, Teleportation, Telekinesis..._

_Almost none of my spells can help me here__!_

**_"Nonsense, young one. Surely there is a creative application you can use."_**

_There is? Tell me, please!_

**_"No."_**

Internally cursing out his master, Izuku previewed his options. He wasn't strong enough to throw himself foward with _telekinesis_, but a short range teleport coule work! Still...

_Just teleporting my clothes on a beach took a lot out of me, not to mention teleporting MY ENTIRE BODY. I shouldn't try to close the entire gap or I'll end up killing myself._

Izuku narrowed his eyes in determination. He has been practicing endlessly for moments like this, to finally prove himself. He made a compromise, 15 meters was safe. The dark spellcaster then caught his rival glaring at him, as they have been coincidentally chosen to sprint alongside each other for the dash. That look in his eyes...

_He still thinks me as a bug to be squished._

"Twenty-five meters."

"Eh?"

He didn't respond. A cutsey robotic voice counted down and marked the pair for competition.

"Start!"

Bakugou and Izuku set off, with Bakugou holding an obvious lead. The blonde-haired demoman ignited his palms and rocketed down the track, his speed drastically boosted by his quirk. Izuku was unbothered, he had this. Step after step, Izuku kept his eyes firmly on Bakugou, and realized just truly what he wanted.

_15 meters...25 meters...no. What I really want...**IS TO MAKE YOU LOSE.**_

Just before Bakugou could cross the 50 meter threshold, Izuku focused his very soul into the energies that bind all matter together, a mixture of gravity, shadow...and something else. He glared at the spot he wanted and delved into the void itself, disappearing from the physical realm, leaving only a trace amount of smoke. Aizawa's heart rate spiked and the heterochromic student felt a lowering of temperature. A half second later, Izuku returned to the physical world...in front of Bakugou.

"3.89 seconds!"

"4.03 seconds!"

"Woah!"

"A warping quirk?!? Those are super rare..."

"W-What? But...that wasn't his quirk...", Hagakure stammered, freaked out at the walking contradiction she just saw.

Izuku coughed violently, nearly vomiting over the dirt ground, but in the end he managed to cling onto breakfast. As for Bakugou...he just stood still, disbelief and doubt clutching his mind. Did he hear that right? Deku was faster than him by a tenth of a second? No, clearly the damn robot was broken. Bakugou looked to his side, the culprit in perfect condition while the rival was currently coughing and laughing manically at the same time.

_That did NOT just happen. __That's literally fucking impossible! That's..._

Bakugou looked again, hundreds of emotions beginning to boil at once. He exploded and put his hands on Izuku's shoulders, shaking his disoriented and exhausted body like a ragdoll.

"THAT'S HOW YOU GOT IN!?! YOU THINK YOU CAN KEEP SHIT FROM ME YOU WORTHLESS D-", Bakugou's arms and legs were suddenly restrained. Instinctively, he activated his explosions.

Yet, he didn't.

"As homeroom teacher, it is my responsibility to ensure every single one of my students with potential has the opportunity to grow. That also means keeping them from _excessive_ injury. Bakugou, you are not the _first __student I have expelled that had the highest score in the entrance exam, and you will not be the last.__ STOP. FIGHTING."_

Aizawa held far more than empty threats and gifted authority, as it turned out. The man's long, shaggy hair was raised upwards, exposing his entire face and gleaming red eyes, which were kept unflinchingly focused on his student. He held his simple scarf in his hands, with Bakugou restrained on the other end, unable to force his way out. With his hair free and scarf loose, Izuku was able to notice a pair of familiar yellow goggles around his neck. He did everything he could to stop himself from smiling. One of his favorite heroes, _Eraserhead_, was his homeroom teacher!

Suddenly, a raspy, dry voice filled with absolute hatred reverberated through his head with such force that he checked if anyone else could hear her.

**_"A NULL. That damn priest...I was certain I had fucking EXTERMINATED his bloodline! How does this man have this ability?!? Bastard must have gotten BUSY after he put me in here!"_**

_A...A null? What's a null?_

**_"A null...a nullifier of magic. An individual who can STRIP you of your power! One of them was present, all those years ago...accompanying an army set to defile and IMPRISON me. If it weren't for the ancestor of the man...I WOULD STILL ROAM THIS FORSAKEN EARTH."_**

_Emily...calm down! Quirks aren't an exact science! He could have just gotten his quirk randomly!__ This all happened in ancient Europe, right? It's very unlikely that his kids went to..._

**_"NO! I can sense it...the blood of an enemy runs through his veins. I cannot have truly won, not until I am out of this cursed necklace...not until AIZAWA IS DEAD."_**

Izuku looked at Aizawa, who had just let go of Bakugou and was now instructing the next pair of students to line up for the dash. He wouldn't be here without Emily, he knew that. It's just...

_Emily...I can't kill anyone. Especially someone who's innocent! Even if the person who locked you away was one of Aizawa's ancestors...that isn't any of HIS fault! I can't help you do this._

Emily stopped speaking, and that's when Izuku knew there was something seriously wrong. Izuku took the rest of the tests, unsurprisingly taking the lower average in most of them, as his magic couldn't help him. What he did notice was the..._variety _among his classmates. In the grip test, a very tall student with 3 arms from each shoulder dominated the grip test, with a close second from an unassuming girl with orange hair who could enlarge her hands. In the standing long jump, an unimpressive blonde who spoke part french managed to top the scores, using a laser from his belly as a propellant.

Then, test 5: The softball throw.

Izuku began to sweat, but not from any particular exhaustion. He did well in the dash, using his teleport to get a high score, but he was failing in every other event. All that was left was this test, the long run, sit-ups, toe-touch, and the long distance run. None of which any of his magic could help him with!

_Heh, well I could use telekinesis to bend myself into a pretzel if I tried hard enough. I'd also die, but I bet nobody else would get first_, he joked darkly.

The lack of response shook him to his core, usually when he made a joke like that, Emily would laugh, insult him for how bad it was, or make an even _more_ fucked up joke. Now, though, surrounded by fellow students and future heroes, he was alone. He looked at the ball in his hand, glumly considering just throwing it and getting his expulsion over with.

**_"Wait."_**

Izuku perked up immediately.

**_"You dumb, dumb child. Have you learned nothing from me? Of our time together? What was the 4th book I had you read to me?_****_"_**

_4th...it wasn't a book, it was a wikipedia page on the history of ballistic weapons. You really liked the part where-_

**_"Irrelevant. Izuku, what revolutionary design allowed for the musket to become an obsolete design?"_**

_It was...rifling! The inside of the barrel of the gun was designed so that the bullet would spin when fired, which allowed it to maintain it's velocity over longer ranges...but why bring it up? I don't have a gun._

**_"..._****_Izuku. What is in your hands?"_**

Izuku hated feeling stupid, and Emily was very good at making him feel stupid. Still, he got it now! Smiling, Izuku used his _telekinesis _to suspend the ball inbetween his hands, much to the surprise of his classmates.

"Wait...I thought he had a warp quirk?"

"Woah, he can make stuff _levitate_ too?

_"What...?"_, the stoic and icy student whispered to himself.

Using telekinesis, his rotated the softball with both hands on opposing sides of the ball. Faster and faster and faster, Izuku found himself needing to occasionally lower the force to avoid losing control. Still, after a solid twenty seconds of spinning, the ball began to glow warmly from the friction against the air. Any faster and the ball would become too damaged to throw, or he would fall unconscious from raw exhaustion. With a wicked laugh and a final **PUSH!**, Izuku blasted the ball fowards, which screamed as it flew through the air and out of sight. A few seconds later, a resonding **CRACK!** was heard from some distance away. Aizawa checked the device and held it up to the group of awestruck students.

**1138 meters!**

The class cheered for the previously underperforming student, who was now sweating furiously and breathing rapidly on the ground. Aizawa glared at him dissaprovingly, prepared to drop reality apon the occult student.

"Do you expect to gain any results from _wasting time_ and _over-exhausting_ yourself? To use all of your energy on a single move and become a civilian right after? There is nothing practical to be gained from that. _You have nothing to be proud of, Midoriya._ I am rescinding the points you have gained from this test. Get up and let someone else have their turn."

The cheers quickly quieted down after that, joy and celebration quickly turned sour. Izuku felt tears on the edge of his eyes. His chance to use his magic and prove himself...only to be coldly turned away. Hagakure and a muscular student with spikey red hair came over and helped him on his feet, guiding him back and attempting to console the silent boy.

"Hey, that was a really cool move you did there! It was like a cannonball! Super manly!"

"Y-Yeah Midoriya! That was a total superhero move there! D-Don't worry! There's no way you're...", Hagakure couldn't finish the sentance, she didn't even want to think about her new friend being kicked out.

Izuku glumly watched the rest of the students with their throws. One girl used her quirk to cancel gravity, ending up with an infinite ball throw. Funny, he thought, that even if the points counted, he wouldn't have been the best result for the throw. Even his dash wasn't the best, that speedster, Iida, held a time of 3 seconds. He didn't have a _single top result._ Izuku sighed.

**_"Izuku..._****_something powerful is watching us..."_**

Izuku perked his head up and looked around, only seeing a girl on the field, preparing her softball throw.

**_"That girl. Her aura is...familiar."_**

Izuku looked closer. He had seen her before when she took the grip test. She enlarged her hands dramatically, as far as the device would let her, and got second place behind the octopus looking guy. She was pretty, with teal eyes and orange hair in a ponytail, she looked cheerful yet determined, like Hagakure but with more self-confidence. That being said...

_Emily, there's nothing THAT special about her. Her hand enlargement quirk is useful, but she isn't much different from that sugar eating guy or-_

The girl reared her arm back and something awe-inspiring happened. As though she was suddenly boosted with hundreds of adrenaline shots, the muscles in her arms swelled with power, adopting a glimmering shine as she threw the ball foward with godly strength.

**"SMASH!"**

The ball disappeared from sight _instantly_, as a massive cloud of dust was uprooted from the sheer force of the throw. The girl winced and held her arm, which, aside from being red from muscle overuse, looked no worse for wear. The girl shook her arm a little.

"Wow, that's gonna be sore tomorrow", she noted.

Aizawa held a look of serious concern as he reluctantly showed the distance of the ball. The class was agape in shock, even Bakugou was silent.

**3261 meters!**

Quickly, Aizawa regained his composure.

"Alright, next student."

Izuku and Emily put the pieces together. The cleaned up beach, the massive junk pile that had been demolished by a single strike. It wasn't All Might that had punched it, it was _her_.

"T-That was _amazing__!_ How were you not first with power like that?!? What's your name?", nearly all the students asked her with some variation of words. She responded with a smile and a friendly, humble demeanor.

"Oh, that? O-Oh, just something I've been practicing! My name is **Itsuka Kendo**, nice to meet all of you! I'm happy we share the same class, in **1-A**!"

* * *

**Author's Notes: **The usual line breakers I use, the XxXxXxXxXx, for whatever reason the format just keeps breaking and never stays in the middle like I had it before, so I'm just going to use the normal lines. I am not happy about this.

So yeah, double chapter! Well, more like one and half. Anyways, surprise surprise, the main face of class 1-B is now in 1-A! I love Itsuka Kendo, she seems like such an example of what a good person is. Not only that, but she has a certain superpower from a certain legend, giving the power dynamic of 1-A a bit of a twist. As some can see, she's a natural with it, being able to use it without excessive injury, similar to Toshinori. Izuku isn't too powerful right now, but the more spells he learns, the more overpowered he'll end up being, so this is a way to preserve balance.

I have a more concrete plan for this story than before, and I hope you guys like it!

**-Delusional777**


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